Rajesh Mehta, 45, senior staff attorney at Cobb County Magistrate was shot and killed Saturday morning while confronting a gunman outside a home in Locust Grove, a report in Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
He was shot multiple times by 29-year-old Terrance Scott outside a home on Hansen Drive in Locus Grove.
After shooting Mehta, the killer allegedly broke into the house, held a woman hostage and sexually assaulted her before an standoff with officers, Locust Grove Police Chief Jesse Patton said. Children were inside the home at the time
It’s unclear how Mehta became involved in the situation, but authorities believe he drove Scott to the home about 6 a.m.
‘I’m told they met in Atlanta and he drove him down. The driver was shot at the back door of the house before the suspect entered the home ... It appears that Mehta may have tried to stop Scott from entering the house because of his anger towards the victim,’ Patton was quoted in the report.
It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday whether Mehta had a part-time job driving for a ride-sharing service, but Henry County prosecutors said he had no connection to the home itself.
He was a beloved figure at the Cobb County courthouse, Cobb Chief Magistrate Judge Brendan Murphy said. ‘He was very well known by all the judges, defense lawyers and prosecutors.’
Mehta worked as the staff attorney for three separate chief magistrate judges since joining the court in 2008. Prior to that, the University of Georgia law school graduate worked under Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark.
‘Raj was a helper. That’s why he was beloved. He would drop anything to help anyone, and he died how he lived ... Raj died a hero, and that doesn’t surprise anybody here’ Murphy said.
‘Raj did not know these people at all. He was forced to drive the defendant to this house. When the defendant got out to go kill (the woman) and potentially (the children), Raj intervened,’ Murphy said.
During the struggle outside the back door, Mehta was able to disarm Scott, police said. A .40-caliber pistol was found in the bushes near the staff attorney’s body.
According to Scott’s arrest warrant, he kicked in the door after shooting Mehta and then took the woman hostage, beating and raping her at knifepoint. The children managed to escape when officers entered the home, Patton said, but Scott refused to release the woman.
‘Scott made verbal threats to kill his hostage if police did not leave,’ he said.
The 2½-hour standoff came to an end about 9 a.m. when Scott attempted to leave the home and escape police, investigators said.
