Hart Co. Sheriff, Deputy Involved in Shooting Wednesday

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

A Gwinnett County man is facing multiple felony charges in Hart County after threatening to kill Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland.

According to Cleveland, the incident began Wednesday evening when a woman came to the Hart County Sheriff’s Office to file an incident report on her live-in boyfriend, identified as 50-year old Joseph Ray Morrison.

Cleveland said the woman told deputies Morrison had been acting aggressively for several days and had threatened to kill her and their son.

“Deputies and myself responded to serve a warrant on the domestic situation at 488 Old Reed Creek Road,” Cleveland said. “We arrived and the suspect was in the yard. He ran in the house, cussing and screaming obscenities. I tried to talk him down. He would stick his out. He had a machete in his hand and said he had a rifle.”

Cleveland said he and deputies continued to try and talk to Morrison to get him to give himself up, but Morrison became more and more agitated.

“After awhile he set the house on fire. There was a huge explosion from where the gas exploded. Just moments later he came running out in a dead sprint straight at me with the machete screaming he was going to kill me,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland said it was at that point, he and another deputy opened fire.

“Myself and one deputy opened fire. When he went down he was right at my feet. We gave him every opportunity for us not to have to shoot him. He just wasn’t going to have it,” Cleveland said.

Morrison suffered three gunshot wounds to the leg.

He was taken to AnMed Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries and released into custody.

Cleveland said Morrison is charged with felony attempted murder, aggravated assault, arson, felony obstruction, terroristic threats and acts, and other charges.