GBI: Woman shot by Georgia deputies after attacking them with hammer

A Pennsylvania woman was shot by Middle Georgia deputies after she attacked them as they responded to a burglary call at a Primitive Baptist church Tuesday, the GBI said.

Fiesta Lattina Murphy, 48, of Duquesne, Pennsylvania, was taken to the hospital after the shooting, the GBI said in a news release. A Baldwin County deputy was also injured when Murphy allegedly hit him in the arm with a hammer as he protected his head.

According to the GBI, deputies were called to Antioch Primitive Baptist Church on Old Monticello Road in Milledgeville for a burglary in progress just before 5 p.m. When they entered the church, Murphy attacked one of them with a hammer, the state agency said.

The deputies told Murphy to drop the hammer, the GBI said, but she tried to attack them a second time. They then opened fire, hitting Murphy multiple times. They performed first aid until emergency medical personnel arrived and Murphy was taken to Atrium Health Navicent in Macon.

Murphy is facing charges of burglary and arson, the GBI said. No further details have been released about the extent of her injuries.

The GBI is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting at the request of the Baldwin sheriff’s office. It is the 109th such incident the state agency has been asked to investigate this year. In 2021, the GBI investigated 100 shootings involving law enforcement.