WATKINSVILLE, Ga. — The GBI is investigating an officer-involved shooting that left a Watkinsville man dead after deputies responded to a welfare check Friday evening.
According to the GBI, 43-year-old Michael Randolph Frohock was shot and killed during the incident. No deputies were injured.
Investigators said the incident began around 7:22 p.m. on June 25, when Oconee County E-911 received a report of a suicidal man armed with a knife.
Deputies with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in the 1000 block of Friar Road in Watkinsville to conduct a welfare check.
According to the GBI’s preliminary investigation, deputies approached Frohock after arriving at the residence. During the encounter, Frohock displayed a firearm, and at least one deputy fired, striking him.
Deputies immediately began life-saving measures, but Frohock was pronounced dead at the scene.
His body will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Once completed, the GBI will submit its findings to the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens at (706) 552-2309. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the GBI’s online tip portal or by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477).
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