A police officer who shot and seriously wounded a machete-wielding man in downtown LaGrange in 2021 will not face criminal charges, officials said.
The suspect, 40-year-old Ronald Ray McCormick, was indicted on counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer and felony obstruction, Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herb Cranford said. Because McCormick’s case is still active, Cranford released few details about the investigation that led to the decision not to press charges against the officer.
Cranford said his full legal analysis will be available to the public after McCormick’s case is resolved.
McCormick was seen walking with the machete around 5:15 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2021, prompting a city employee to call 911, the GBI said after its initial investigation. The LaGrange officer who first responded spoke with McCormick from his patrol car, the GBI said, and McCormick identified himself. When the officer ran a query, he found that McCormick was wanted on multiple bench warrants.
The officer tried to follow McCormick and approach him again, but McCormick ran away, the GBI said. The officer called for backup and the second officer who arrived confronted and ultimately shot McCormick, according to the state agency.
McCormick was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and underwent surgery, the GBI said. No additional details have been released about the nature of McCormick’s injuries or his condition.
According to McCormick’s indictment, he allegedly raised his machete over his head and advanced toward the officer. The officer’s body camera was active at the time of the shooting, Cranford said.
The GBI’s investigative file included that footage, reports from the scene, McCormick’s medical records and the warrants against him, Cranford said. The file also included interviews with the officers involved, the 911 caller and McCormick.
McCormick’s trial is scheduled to begin Thursday, online court records show.
At the time of the shooting, McCormick was wanted for failing to appear in court in three separate cases. Two involved possession of methamphetamine in 2016 and 2020, while the third involved battery and child cruelty charges from 2017.
McCormick is serving multiple concurrent sentences at Wilcox State Prison in Abbeville after entering negotiated guilty pleas in all three cases. He was recalled to the Troup County Jail for the upcoming trial.
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