Deputy shoots man accused of dropping off contraband outside DeKalb jail

A man was shot by a deputy Saturday after he was allegedly caught dropping off contraband outside the DeKalb County Jail, according to the GBI.

Credit: DAVID TULIS

Credit: DAVID TULIS

A man was shot by a deputy Saturday after he was allegedly caught dropping off contraband outside the DeKalb County Jail, according to the GBI.

A man was shot by a DeKalb County deputy over the weekend after he was allegedly caught dropping off contraband outside the jail, officials said Wednesday.

The suspect, 25-year-old Deontre’ Thomas, ditched his still-running car after he was spotted around 1:15 a.m. Saturday leaving the undisclosed items, according to the GBI. Law enforcement chased the man along Memorial Drive, the main road just northwest of the jail, but eventually lost sight of him.

A short time later, Thomas came back for his vehicle and was spotted by a deputy.

“The deputy fired his weapon, and Thomas drove away from the scene in his car,” the GBI stated. “Officers chased the car but lost sight of it.”

At around 2:30 a.m., DeKalb police got a call about a person who was at a home on Emerald Drive in Atlanta after being shot, officials said. When officers arrived, they found Thomas, along with the vehicle that had been seen outside the jail, according to the GBI.

Thomas was taken to the hospital and is said to be stable. It’s unclear what charges he will face.

No officers were injured during the incident.

The GBI was asked to investigate and will turn over all findings to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office for review. It marked the 13th officer-involved shooting the state agency has been asked to investigate this year.

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