Local rapist shoots himself after standoff

After a three hour standoff with an Atlanta SWAT team, James Scott Carringer, 42 of Young Harris, GA ended his own life April 8.

On Tuesday, April 6, Carringer drove to Kennesaw, GA and met a relative at Dick’s Sporting Goods parking lot. He then abducted the 19-year-old female, drove her to a remote part of Gilmer County and raped her.

Early on Wednesday morning Carringer released the victim at the campus of Kennesaw State University where she attends college. She then proceeded to check herself into North Georgia Medical Center and reported the crime to Gilmer County Police. The police then issued an alert for Carringer’s black Nissan Xterra.

At around 5:30 a.m. Thursday a suspicious vehicle matching the description of Carringer’s Xterra was reported in the Midtown Atlanta Area on Peachtree Street. Police arrived on the scene shortly thereafter.

“The man in the vehicle said that he had explosives, and was suicidal,” said Major R.L. Browning of the Atlanta Police Department.

Police attempted to talk with Carringer to no avail. A SWAT team was soon called in and about 20 minutes later a gunshot was heard from inside the SUV.

A bomb squad robot detonated a window and after thorough inspection no explosives were found.  That is also when they found that the driver was dead from a self inflicted gun-shot wound. He was confirmed to be James Scott Carringer.

Peachtree Street was blocked off in Midtown Atlanta from 5:30 to 8:30 a.m., causing multiple traffic jams during the heavy morning commuter hours.

Carringer was a home appraiser working with the Appraisal Agency in Young Harris, GA. The Georgia Real Estate Commission’s website reports that Carringer’s appraiser license had been revoked.

Carringer was a former resident of Cherokee County, N.C.

Out of respect for the victim and the family of Carringer, no further information will be released concerning the rape, and the case is now said to be closed.