SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia law enforcement officer, while being dragged by a pickup truck, shot and killed the 29-year-old man driving the vehicle, prompting an inquiry from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officials said Friday.
The driver, identified as Walter Herman, of Ellabell, Georgia, died at the scene, investigators said. The officer, whose name was not released, sustained a broken leg and was treated at an area hospital.
Preliminary information shows the officer was at a convenience store at about 7 p.m. Thursday off U.S. 280 near I-16 in Bryan County when he witnessed a hit-and-run accident, the bureau said in a news release. The officer followed the truck that fled the scene and stopped it after a short pursuit.
The officer approached the driver’s side door and spoke with the driver before attempting to place handcuffs on him, the agency said. The driver sped off as the officer reached inside the car, and the officer was dragged about one-tenth of a mile.
The car hit a road sign and went off the road down a steep embankment. The officer then fired his weapon, causing both him and the driver to fall from the car, the bureau said.
The bureau said its investigation is ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be given 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 look into this year.
