The following is a letter released by West Georgia District Attorney Sarah Japour…

On August 20, 2024, Taylor Bristow, an Investigator with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, was shot while participating in the execution of a search warrant at a residence south of Carrollton, Georgia. Following the fatal shooting, The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) conducted a thorough investigation and submitted an investigative file for my consideration as the District Attorney for the West Georgia Judicial Circuit.
After examining all of the evidence and consulting all applicable statutory and case law, I have determined that no further action is warranted in this matter.

A judge issued the search warrant after considering information gathered by the GBl’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit. The information indicated that located in a suspect’s home were electronic devices containing images showing the sexual abuse of children in violation of Georgia law. The home was occupied by a male suspect, his wife, and two young children under the age of 12 years.
Investigators and patrol deputies from the sheriff’s office and special agents from the GBI’s Region 2, which includes Carroll County, executed the search warrant shortly after 8:30 in the morning. The law enforcement officers confirmed the suspect’s children were at school and would be out of the home when the officers searched the house. Upon arriving at the house, the Carroll County deputies and investigators approached the front door of the house while the special agents took up positions around the perimeter of the house.

Upon reaching the entrance, the investigators knocked on the suspect’s door and announced themselves to the occupants. One investigator saw the suspect come to the front of the house and pull back some curtains near the door. The suspect asked what the officers wanted whereupon the investigators asked him to open the door. The suspect then stepped away from the front door and walked back toward the kitchen before returning to the front door after a brief time.
When he returned to the front of the house, the suspect opened the door and again asked why the officers were there. One investigator informed the suspect they were executing a search warrant and requested the suspect step outside. As the investigator reached to guide the suspect out of the house, the suspect pulled away and retreated back into the house. The three investigators then entered the home and attempted to gain control of the suspect. One of the investigators was Investigator Bristow, who was located behind the suspect on the right-hand side and was trying to gain control of the suspect’s right arm. As the three officers struggled with the suspect, the suspect dropped to his knees and pulled his hands to the front of his waist. At that point, he produced a previously unseen pistol, which he inserted into his mouth and fired.

Carroll County Courthouse PO Box 338
Carrollton, GA 30112
Phone: (770) 830-2171
Fax: (770) 830-2170

I-Icard County Courthouse PO 13ox 730
Franklin, GA 30217
Phone: (706) 675-0955
Fax: (706) 675-0958

The bullet passed through the roof of the suspect’s mouth into his brain and exited through the back of his head. The bullet then struck Investigator Bristow in the left eye and travelled into the officer’s brain. Both men collapsed to the floor.

After the gunshot, other officers escorted the suspect’s wife outside and ensured no one else was present in the home. Investigator Bristow was immediately taken to Tanner Medical Center and subsequently flown to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Four days later, Investigator Bristow tragically succumbed to his injuries and died at Grady.

Emergency Medical personnel attended to the suspect at the scene, but, after consulting with a physician, declared him deceased at the crime scene. From all the evidence, the suspect died instantly upon shooting himself.

In the weeks following the incident, special agents from the GBI’s Region 10 completed an investigation into the shooting. I have thoroughly examined all investigative reports, interviews, and crime lab reports associated with this event and it is my opinion that the deputies of the Carroll County Sherifrs Office and the special agents of Georgia Bureau of Investigation all conducted themselves with the utmost of professionalism and skill. Investigator Bristow was a brave, noble, and dedicated law enforcement officer who died in the line of duty protecting the citizens of Carroll County and the State of Georgia. We shall miss him.

It should be noted that the evidence seized under the CEACC Unit’s search warrant confirmed the suspect did in fact possess electronic devices that contained images depicting the sexual abuse of children.