A west Georgia sheriff, who has been in law enforcement for 40 years, said the dashboard camera footage of two deputies locked in a frightening gunbattle with a suspect armed with an AK-47 earlier this week shook him to his core.
The footage, released Wednesday by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, captured part of a harrowing ordeal that eventually sent three officers to the hospital and left one suspect dead and another in custody.
The video opens with the deputies driving down a road trying to locate an injured officer. Another patrol car can be seen in the distance, its blue lights flashing brightly against the darkened trees and sky.
Then, a suspect is seen stepping out of the darkness, walking toward the deputies’ car with an AK-47 and opening fire.
“That video sent chills up my spine,” Carroll County sheriff’s office spokeswoman Investigator Ashley Hulsey said during a news conference Wednesday.
Editor’s note: The video contains graphic footage.
Credit: Carroll County Sheriff's Office
Investigators said three officers were admitted to hospitals Monday with gunshot wounds following the wild chase and shootout. A fourth, Cpl. Jamison Troutt of the Carroll sheriff’s office, was injured during the incident but was not hit by gunfire, officials said.
Carroll County Deputy Jay Repetto, who was in the same patrol vehicle as Troutt, was shot in the arm and flown to Atlanta Medical Center. He was released later in the day.
Villa Rica police Officer Chase Gordy, who was on the scene first, was shot twice and underwent surgery Monday morning at Grady Memorial Hospital before being released Tuesday evening.
Carrollton police Sgt. Rob Holloway is still being closely monitored in the intensive care unit at Grady but is steadily showing signs of progress, according to his department. During the chase, Holloway crashed into a utility pole after taking gunfire in his patrol car, Carroll County Sheriff Terry Langley said.
“He has a long road ahead of him, but as of today, it’s all in the right direction,” Carrollton police spokeswoman Sgt. Meredith Browning told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They are still closely monitoring for any possible swelling and/or infection that could arise due to his injury.”
The incident began when a state trooper tried to pull over a 2015 Nissan Sentra it had clocked going 111 mph on I-20, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The trooper used a PIT maneuver to disable the car after it sped away from the attempted traffic stop, but the driver regained control and kept going.
Local authorities joined the chase as it crossed into Carroll County. Someone inside the Sentra fired multiple rounds at the officers, officials said.
During the chase, Holloway was hit by gunfire and injured but continued his pursuit, the GBI said. He later crashed into the pole.
The Nissan eventually crashed near an elementary school in Villa Rica, and the suspects ran away from the vehicle. At some point, officers located them and a gunfight ensued, officials said.
That’s when Gordy was shot.
Troutt and Repetto were nearby working to evacuate the area when the gunshots rang out, Hulsey said. Both deputies got into Troutt’s patrol car and began driving to the area where Gordy was down.
“This was in a residential area, actually in front of a house,” Langley said Wednesday.
In the dashcam video, the patrol car is seen heading down a highway and then turning onto a dimly lit side road lined with trees. As the patrol car rolls down the side road, Repetto can be overheard telling Troutt to stop.
Credit: Carroll County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Carroll County Sheriff's Office
The only light appears to be coming from Troutt’s headlights and the flashing blue lights of another patrol car in the distance. A voice can be heard shouting a command to “move down” closer to where Gordy is, and Troutt’s vehicle begins moving again.
Troutt is driving just over 35 mph when a figure moves in the road, the video shows. He hits his brakes as the figure grows closer, dashcam indicators show. Seconds later, it becomes apparent that the figure is a man with a gun.
“He stops Cpl. Troutt’s vehicle in its tracks,” Hulsey said.
The patrol car is still moving when the man begins firing at it. He fires at least four times, according to the video. Then, a dozen more gunshots are heard, and the man disappears out of frame.
Photos show at least 12 bullet holes in the windshield of Troutt’s patrol vehicle and several more bullet holes in its hood. A couple who lived in a nearby house were at home during the incident, Langley said.
“They heard every shot and they are still traumatized,” he said.
The armed suspect, identified as Pier Alexander Shelton, 28, of Birmingham, Alabama, was pronounced dead at the scene. The GBI has not said who fired the shot that killed him.
His cousin, Aaron Jajuan Shelton, 22, also of Birmingham, was arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated assault and three counts of aggravated battery. He is being held at the Carroll County Jail without bond after making a court appearance Wednesday.
Holloway remains in critical condition, but doctors are pleased by his progress, Browning said. In a Facebook post, Carrollton police said Holloway is able to move both his hands and feet, hold a cup and drink through a straw.
A group of law enforcement spouses from west Georgia set up a GoFundMe page for Holloway and his family. Friends of Gordy created a GoFundMe page to help with his medical expenses.
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