A man driving a stolen car was shot and killed by a Georgia State Patrol trooper Thursday in Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood, authorities said.
The shooting occurred about noon when Atlanta police requested the GSP’s help after spotting a stolen Chevrolet Camaro parked in the 100 block of Leslie Street near Moreland Avenue, authorities said.
“The vehicle was initially parked when the trooper exited his vehicle to investigate,” the GBI said in a statement. “The driver attempted to leave in the vehicle, and the trooper gave verbal commands to stop.”
As the Atlanta officer and the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver of the Camaro drove toward them, prompting the trooper to fire his weapon, authorities said.
“The driver of the Camaro struck the trooper’s patrol car, fled up Leslie Street and crashed near the intersection of Leslie and Wylie Streets,” the GSP said.
The driver of the stolen car was identified as 32-year-old Andrew Smyrna of Ellenwood. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds and later died, authorities said.
A passenger inside the Camaro, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries in the crash, authorities said.
No officers were injured in the incident.
The area was shut down for hours as the GBI investigated its 10th officer-involved shooting of the year.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don't involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI's tally.
Once the investigation is complete, the agency’s findings will be turned over to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for review.
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