20-year-old Michael Brandon Hill was accused of opening fire at an Atlanta-area elementary school on Tuesday, CNN reported. Armed with an AK-47 and after barricading himself in the front office of the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, Hill was charged with firing about six shots toward the school officers before surrendering to police thanks to the heroism of bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff, DeKAlb County police said.
"He started to fire from inside the school at our officers. He had one or two of the staff members. He was holding them captive. He would continue to fire upon officers. Officers were able to return fire. No one was injured. He surrendered to police authorities here in DeKalb," said DeKalb County Police Chief Cedric Alexander.
No one was injured in Tuesday's shooting, news reports said.
As teachers and administrators guided elementary students to a lawn outside the school's gym, bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff engaged in conversation with the gunman in an effort to have him surrender and avoid any deaths. During the conversation, Hill, reportedly told Tuff he had no reason to live because no one loved him.
"And I just explained to him that I loved him. I didn't know much about him. I didn't know his name but I did love him and it was scary because I knew at that moment he was ready to take my life along with his, and if I didn't say the right thing, then we all would be dead," Tuff explained. She was able to convince Hill to surrender to authorities.
Hill faces charges charges including aggravated assault on a police officer, terroristic threats and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said. Investigators on Tuesday had said that they initially suspected there could be explosives in a vehicle Hill had parked, but police concluded that there were none.
Hill had been arrested in March in Henry County on suspicion of "terrorist threats and acts," but was released on bail five days later.
On Tuesday evening, Hill was questioned by police. Before searching the suspect's residence, officers went door-to-door and evacuated all of the homes nearby, CBS Atlanta reported.
"'I honestly can tell you he has got a long history of medical disorders, including bipolar, and that could make you snap on a dime.. 'My mom's almost looked like a drugstore at one point. There was so many different medications he was on," Hill's brother Timothy said to ABC.
