May 16—An east Cobb man will spend 18 years behind bars after he pled guilty to shooting at police officers and his neighbors while intoxicated, Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady Jr. announced Tuesday.

Donald Terry Welborn Jr., 60, was arrested on Sept. 22, 2020, after a long standoff with the Cobb County Police Department's SWAT team, according to Broady's office.

Around 5:30 that morning, Welborn shot at the ceiling and ceiling fan in his east Cobb home on Kingsley Drive while his wife and daughter were there, his warrant states.

The wife and daughter escaped unharmed, Broady's office said, and when officers spoke with him by cellphone, attempting to convince him to leave the house, he threatened to begin shooting officers if he was not left alone.

He then began to shoot at police officers on the scene with multiple guns over a short period of time, Broady's office added, as officers ducked behind vehicles with bullets flying past them, hitting treetops, the asphalt and nearby houses.

After an hours-long standoff, Welborn surrendered and was taken into custody around 1 p.m., according to Cobb jail records.

During an on-scene investigation, detectives determined that multiple bullets had entered two occupied neighboring houses through their walls, Broady's office said.

One family of two parents and two children hid in a closet, terrified, for hours during the standoff. One bullet from a high-powered rifle struck their aquarium located in their living room, killing the fish and flooding the area, the DA's office added.

In total, detectives located 68 spent shell casings of various calibers, 32 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Welborn pled guilty to nine counts of aggravated assault on police officers, three counts of aggravated assault on civilians and one count of possession of firearm during commission of a felony.

Superior Court Judge Ann Harris sentenced Welborn to 35 years, with the first 18 years to be served in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Bert Cohen prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Georgia. Local attorney Joel Pugh represented Welborn during the plea.