Georgia deputy involved in shooting while investigating stolen vehicle, GBI says

The GBI is investigating a shooting involving a Hancock County deputy that occurred late Tuesday. A teenager was shot after he attacked a deputy, according to GBI officials.

Credit: GBI

Credit: GBI

The GBI is investigating a shooting involving a Hancock County deputy that occurred late Tuesday. A teenager was shot after he attacked a deputy, according to GBI officials.

A teenager who picked a fight with a Hancock County deputy was shot and had to be hospitalized Tuesday night, according to the GBI.

The state agency has been asked to investigate the incident, which occurred about 8:50 p.m. along Shoals Road as officers responded to a call about a stolen vehicle.

Authorities said a deputy made contact with Montavious Lewis, a 17-year-old from Sparta, who began fighting the officer. The deputy, in turn, fired his service weapon and wounded Lewis, GBI officials said in a news release Wednesday.

Investigators did not release the deputy’s name. The teen was taken to Athens Regional Hospital, where he was stable, officials said Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear how many times the deputy shot Lewis or if the suspect will face charges tied to the stolen vehicle report or the shooting.

It was the 81st officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year, and the ninth this month. By this point last year, there had been 68 such shootings statewide, according to GBI records.

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