A $20,000 reward is being offered in the search for a gunman accused of shooting a Banks County sheriff’s deputy in the chest at the Tanger Outlet mall in Commerce.
The search is now centered in Atlanta, the GBI reported.
That’s because hours after the shooting, investigators believe the same man kidnapped a woman at her home in Commerce and forced her at gunpoint to drive him into town, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.
The woman, who was ultimately released, was found with minor injuries. She helped the GBI develop a sketch of the suspect, Miles said.
The FBI and agencies throughout northeast Georgia, including Hall County and Georgia State Patrol SWAT teams, are searching for the shooter, according to the GBI.
“Investigators are working to determine the exact time and location of the suspect arriving in the Atlanta area,” Miles said.
Deputies initially responded to an armed robbery about 4:10 p.m. Wednesday at the Atlanta Dragway, Miles said.
Soon after, the shooter stole a car and drove toward the outlet mall.
When a deputy tried to pull the car over in the 800 block of Steven B. Tanger Boulevard, the driver got out and fired multiple times at the deputy, who was still in his patrol car, Miles said.
The deputy was hit, but his bulletproof vest stopped the bullet.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
The gunman continued to run, launching a search in the area of Steve Reynolds Industrial Parkway.
The man is believed to be armed with two weapons. Authorities say he is 6 feet, 170 pounds and between 30 and 40 years old. He was last seen wearing black clothing and a short haircut.
Investigators also believe the suspect took a burgundy Ingles grocery store pullover shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI tip line at 1-800-597-8477, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 706-367-3784 or the Banks County Sheriff’s Office at 706-677-2248.
— Staff writer Ellen Eldridge contributed to this story.
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