By Nick Watson
The Times
GAINSEVILLE, Ga. — A Gainesville man told police he thought he was being stabbed as he wrestled a man who had roamed through a neighborhood with two steak knives threatening people.
Darrion Suave Fraley, of Gainesville, was charged with attempted murder among other charges after an incident Oct. 17 on Shades Valley Lane. He was in Magistrate Court Friday with attorney Chloe Owens for a probable cause hearing.
During testimony, Gainesville Police Investigator Brad Raper detailed multiple 911 calls about a shirtless man with two knives going through the Shades Valley Lane area.
The callers said the man, later identified as Fraley, 34, was damaging vehicles and making threats.
Raper said Fraley’s mother was one of the 911 callers, riding alongside Fraley in a car trying to get him to stop. She warned neighbors that her son was having an episode and for them to stay in their homes.
“She was doing everything that she possibly could to protect people,” Raper said.
Fraley’s mother was also asking police for a 1013 order, which is an involuntary mental health evaluation for someone deemed a risk to hurt themself or others.
“He’s screaming, ‘I’ll kill them all,’ or something to that effect in the recordings of the 911 (call),” Raper said.
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Around the same time, Phillip Garrison’s father was being picked up by two paramedics with a private service for treatment, Raper said. Fraley approached them with two steak knives, one in each hand, the investigator said.
The paramedics retreated into the home, and Garrison, a military veteran, stood guard at the front of the house with a five-shot revolver.
“He wasn’t going to let anybody hurt them or he wasn’t going to let anybody hurt his father, who was trying to get treatment,” Raper said.
Raper said Fraley ran toward Garrison, and the two men started grappling.
"(Garrison) said he was punching him so hard that he felt like he was being stabbed,” Raper said.
Garrison started shooting and fired all of the bullets in the revolver.
Raper did not know how many times Fraley was shot but said it was more than once. Two shots hit the home, with one into the porch post and another to the garage door.
After the gunshots, the two men were still grappling. Garrison told police Fraley grabbed the hand with the gun.
“He said, ‘I needed that hand to fight, so I just let him have the gun because I knew it didn’t have any ammo in it,’” Raper said recounting his interview with Garrison.
Fraley took the gun, turned it on Garrison and repeatedly pulled the trigger, Raper said.
Garrison eventually got Fraley to the ground, holding him until officers could get there to help, Raper said.
Raper described Garrison as nervous but calm. A veteran who had served overseas, he was still suffering from bruising and soreness from the fight.
Raper said they tried to get help for all of the people involved, calling it a “traumatic” situation.
Fraley was also charged with aggravated assault, two counts of obstruction of an EMT, possession of a firearm/knife during the commission of a crime and third-degree child cruelty.
Owens asked for the third-degree child cruelty charge to be dismissed, as there was no evidence provided at the hearing about the child’s age.
She also felt that the obstruction charges should merge.
Magistrate Court Judge Elizabeth Reisman dismissed the child cruelty charge but sent everything else on to Superior Court.
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