A man running from police on I-75 in south Georgia killed himself and three other people were shot when a state trooper’s weapon accidentally discharged, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Friday.
About 4 p.m. Thursday, officers from the Ashburn Police Department tried to pull over a stolen vehicle, Terry Howard with the GBI said.
The vehicle did not stop and sped north on I-75. As Ashburn police chased the vehicle, a passenger began firing at officers, Howard said.
At some point, officials with the Turner County Sheriff’s Office, the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol got involved in the pursuit.
“During the chase, the male passenger shot himself and died as a result of his injuries,” Howard said.
At exit No. 99, a woman driving the vehicle stopped. An officer and a deputy were pulling the woman from the stolen vehicle when the trooper’s gun went off, striking the officer, the deputy and the woman, Howard said.
The officers were treated and released. The woman was taken to a local hospital, where she remained Friday morning with non-life threatening injuries.
Howard did not release the names of anyone involved in the deadly chase and shooting.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation to determine what exactly happened during the incident, Howard said.
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