The GBI is investigating after a man shot at a South Georgia deputy Sunday afternoon and the deputy returned fire, authorities said.
Before that exchange of gunfire, multiple 911 callers reported that a man had fired shots at a vehicle on I-75 near mile marker 91, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. Deputies spotted the man walking through traffic on the interstate around 5 p.m., causing a traffic jam, the agency said.
One deputy got out of his vehicle and began to walk toward the man, later identified as James Daynair Goodwin, the GBI said in a news release Monday. The deputy first tried talking to Goodwin, 46, before he shot at the deputy, and the deputy returned fire, according to the GBI.
Goodwin was injured and flown to Atrium Health Navicent in Macon, where he remained hospitalized Thursday. No deputies were injured.
The sheriff’s office requested the GBI to conduct an independent investigation, which temporarily shut down the southbound lanes of I-75 Sunday.
Goodwin is suspected of assaulting and robbing a passerby who stopped to offer him assistance prior to the 911 calls, the state agency said. Investigators suspect other motorists may have been assaulted at that time.
It’s the 76th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year, nearly matching the pace of law enforcement shootings from 2020. It is the first such shooting this month.
The AJC also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
The GBI is seeking to interview additional witnesses who have not been identified at this point. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Americus office at 229-931-2439 or the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office at 229-276-2600. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
