A wounded officer still made the arrest, investigators told a judge.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent described a close-range hotel room ambush Tuesday, saying a Gwinnett County police officer was shot in the neck but still arrested the man accused of killing his partner. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty after an indictment.
The testimony came at a preliminary hearing that moved the case toward Gwinnett County Superior Court and put new details on the record about what investigators say happened on Feb. 1 at a Holiday Inn Express near Stone Mountain. The suspect, Kevin Andrews, is charged with killing Officer Pradeep Tamang and shooting Officer David Reed as police tried to take him into custody. The hearing also previewed issues likely to shape the next phase, including forensic evidence, body camera video and the type of weapon investigators say was used.
GBI Special Agent Joseph Clark told the court that Reed responded about 7:30 a.m. to a call about a hotel room obtained fraudulently. Clark said Tamang arrived to assist and the two officers made contact with Andrews in Room 118 at the Holiday Inn Express on East Park Place Boulevard. Clark testified that when the officers told Andrews he was under arrest on an unrelated failure-to-appear warrant, Andrews pulled what Clark described as a modified gun from the front pocket of his hoodie. “With a Glock switch or machine conversion device, one pull of the trigger can fire multiple rounds at one time,” Clark said. Within moments, Clark said, both officers were struck by gunfire.
Clark said Tamang was hit and later died from his injuries. Reed was shot in the neck and suffered injuries that left him partially deaf, with facial paralysis and vision problems, Clark testified. Even so, Clark said Reed was able to regain control of the encounter inside the room. Clark told the judge that Reed pulled Andrews from his wheelchair, pinned him to the floor and handcuffed him. Clark said Reed then tried to call for help but could not hear out of his left ear, so he removed an earpiece and used a handheld radio to direct other officers to his location while medical help was on the way. The testimony painted Reed as an officer working through shock and trauma while trying to secure the suspect and prevent further danger.
Investigators also described what they say Andrews said after he was restrained. Clark testified that body camera video recorded Andrews making statements that were later cited in court. Clark said that during the arrest Andrews told Reed, “I hope you die,” and after he was placed on a stretcher he said he did not care about the injured officer. The statements, presented through Clark’s testimony, were among the details prosecutors used to argue the seriousness of the case and to explain why they are seeking the harshest penalty available under Georgia law for a murder prosecution. Defense attorneys did not make lengthy public statements during the hearing, and the full scope of their arguments is expected to become clearer as the case moves to superior court and pretrial motions begin.
Authorities have said the initial call to the hotel involved allegations connected to payment fraud and use of someone else’s card. The GBI has described the call as tied to a report that a credit card had been used at the hotel without permission. Officials have said the interaction turned deadly after officers entered the room and attempted to detain Andrews. Early accounts said gunfire erupted after the officers were invited inside. The hearing Tuesday focused on the arrest decision and the moment investigators say Andrews produced the weapon and fired, but it did not fully answer broader questions, including whether any other people were in or near the room, how long the officers were inside before the gun was drawn and what specific warning signs, if any, were visible to the officers before the shooting.
Andrews faces charges that include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A judge found probable cause on all counts and sent the case to Gwinnett County Superior Court. Prosecutors said in court Tuesday that they intend to pursue the death penalty after a formal indictment is returned. In Georgia, a death penalty case can require months of evidence review and hearings before a trial date is set, and it often includes added layers of jury selection and pretrial litigation. No execution date or trial schedule is set at the indictment stage, but the state’s filing signals it intends to treat the case as one of its most serious prosecutions.
The hearing also highlighted Andrews’ background as prosecutors laid out his criminal history. Clark testified that Andrews has a record dating to 2007 and includes convictions for aggravated assault and statutory rape, as well as multiple probation violations and failures to appear. Prosecutors have argued those details matter because they say Andrews was barred from possessing a firearm and because a history of missed court dates raises concerns about release conditions. Andrews was in a wheelchair at the time of the hotel encounter, according to testimony, but investigators have said that did not prevent him from producing and firing the weapon they recovered. Court records and later filings are expected to provide more detail on the warrant that prompted the attempted arrest and on any other pending cases tied to the failures to appear mentioned in court.
The shooting shook Gwinnett County’s police department and the broader metro Atlanta area, where officers are regularly called to hotels for fraud complaints and disputes that can shift quickly. Officials have praised Reed’s actions after he was injured and have described Tamang as a young officer early in his career. Tamang was 25 at the time of his death, and he had joined the department in 2024, according to earlier public statements from authorities. Reed has been described as a veteran officer, and officials have said he remained hospitalized for treatment after the shooting. The injuries discussed in testimony Tuesday suggest a long recovery ahead, including challenges tied to hearing, facial movement and sight.
Next steps in the case now turn to the grand jury and to superior court judges who handle felony prosecutions. Prosecutors said they plan to seek an indictment before formally filing a death penalty notice. Once indicted, the case is expected to enter a pretrial period where attorneys argue over what evidence jurors will see, including body camera footage referenced in court and any forensic testing on the gun and ammunition. Investigators may also be called to testify again at later hearings about the crime scene, the weapon modification described as a conversion device, and any ballistics findings that clarify how many shots were fired and from where. For now, Andrews remains jailed as the case proceeds, and officials have not announced a timeline for when a grand jury will take up the charges.
Author note: Last updated March 4, 2026.