SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia police officer shot and killed the 29-year-old man driving the vehicle while being pulled by a pickup truck, prompting an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authorities said Friday.
The driver, identified as Walter Herman, of Ellabell, Georgia, died at the scene, investigators said. The officer, whose name was not released, suffered a broken leg and was treated at an area hospital.
Preliminary information shows the officer was at a convenience store around 7 p.m. Thursday on US 280 near I-16 in Bryan County when he witnessed a hit-and-run accident, the bureau said in a statement. press. The officer followed the truck that fled the scene and stopped it after a brief pursuit.
The officer approached the driver’s side door and spoke to the driver before attempting to put the handcuffs on him, the agency said. The driver sped up when the officer reached into the car, and the officer was dragged approximately one-tenth of a mile.
The car hit a traffic signal and went off the road down a steep embankment. The officer then fired his gun, causing both him and the driver to fall out of the car, the office said.
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The office said its investigation is ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Atlantic Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
This is the 36th officer-involved shooting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate this year.
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