G.B.I. investigates officer-involved shooting here

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to probe an incident where a Grady County Sheriff’s deputy shot at the driver of a truck that allegedly drove towards the deputy after he had exited his car.

The incident happened Tuesday morning, some time before 1 a.m. when the deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop in northern Grady County on the truck for an equipment malfunction, according to Natalie Ammons, spokeswoman with the G.B.I.

Instead of stopping, the driver accelerated in an attempt to get away from the deputy instead of stopping, Ammons states.

The deputy chased the vehicle into Mitchell County in the area of Branchville Road.

Eventually, both vehicles stopped, Ammons states, and the deputy got out of his car “in an attempt to use his Taser on the driver to make an arrest. The driver then drove towards the deputy and the deputy fired shots at the driver in the vehicle. The driver of the truck continued to drive and the Grady County deputy got back in his vehicle and continued to give chase.”

Deputies from Mitchell and Decatur counties eventually joined the chase and at the intersection of GA 97 and Mt. Olive Road, the driver stopped.

At this point, deputies discovered that the driver had been shot, and first aid was administered at the scene, Ammons states, and the driver was then transported to a local hospital for additional treatment. No deputies were injured in the incident.

Ammons states that a pistol stolen from Grady County was recovered at the scene.

Neither the name of the driver nor the deputy involved had been released Tuesday.

The G.B.I. will conduct its investigation of the incident, and once completed, will turn the case over to the South Georgia Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

This is the 75th officer involved shooting the G.B.I. has been requested to investigate in 2020.