A South Georgia man was shot by a deputy Thursday morning following a police chase in rural Worth County, authorities said.
The GBI is investigating the shooting, which occurred about 8:30 a.m. in Sylvester. Authorities said the chase began along U.S. 82 when a Worth County deputy tried to stop a 2010 Mercury sedan driven by 28-year-old Antwain Wade of Albany.
Wade didn’t stop, and the deputy chased him west toward County Line Road, GBI spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said in a news release. Following the pursuit, the deputy told Wade to exit the car.
“Wade did not comply and at some point drove into the direction of the deputy,” Ammons said. “The deputy fired his weapon, striking Wade.”
Authorities have not said how many shots were fired or how many times Wade was struck. The 28-year-old was taken to the hospital, where he remains in serious condition.
The incident is the 51st shooting involving a law enforcement officer the GBI has been asked to investigate this year. Less than 24 hours earlier, a suspect “ambushed” Atlanta police officers who were responding to a 911 call on Peachtree Street in Midtown, authorities said.
Joseph Lee Humbles, 29, was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon during an exchange of gunfire with the officers at the Solace apartment building, according to the GBI. Atlanta police officer Khuong Thai was shot twice in the gun battleand was stable when he was taken to a hospital.
With the most recent incident, Georgia is on pace to match the number of officer-involved shootings that happened across the state in 2020. The GBI opened 96 investigations into shootings involving law enforcement officers last year, and by last June it had opened 51 cases.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates on this developing story.
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