An off-duty sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an armed man Monday in Atlanta after police said the thief opened fire and wounded the lawman.

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said two people flagged down Lt. Gerald Johnson just after 5 p.m. after a thief shot two employees during a hold-up at a rental furniture store.

Lt. Johnson raced toward the gunman, who police said was armed with an “assault-style weapon,” and the robber shot at the deputy.

The sheriff said Lt. Johnson was struck in the hand by the bullet, but managed to return fire and kill the thief.

“They exchanged gunfire, and to that extent the perpetrator is now deceased,” Sheriff Labat said. “When you’re faced with an assault-style weapon, he did a wonderful job.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday said the thief, who hasn’t been identified, robbed a Krispy Kreme store and went on to rob the rental furniture outlet nearby.

The GBI said the robber shot two employees at the rental store. The agency didn’t share what condition the employees are in. 

The sheriff said Lt. Johnson joined the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office in 1993, working full-time until his retirement in 2017. He returned to the department in a part-time role in 2022.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.