Cobb County police shot a man they say pulled out a gun during a traffic stop on I-75 South late Wednesday night, according to officials.
An officer stopped the driver on the interstate near Delk Road just before 10:30 p.m., police said in a statement. The reason for the stop was not disclosed.
The police department asked the GBI to take over the investigation, which is routine in shootings involving officers.
“During the traffic stop, the officer saw the driver, identified as Kenny Ezekiel, 31, of Atlanta, with a gun in his waistband,” the GBI said in a statement. “The officer told Ezekiel not to reach for the gun. Ezekiel pulled the gun from his waistband and the officer shot him.”
After he was shot, Ezekiel threw his gun out of the driver’s-side window and onto the interstate, the GBI said.
Other responding officers provided first aid until an ambulance arrived and took Ezekiel to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, according to the statement. He was stable Thursday afternoon, the GBI said.
The GBI will conduct an investigation into the shooting and those findings will be given to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review.
It was the 18th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate this year and the second involving Cobb police. In 2022, the GBI investigated 112 shootings involving officers.
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