A request to clear a Savannah homeless camp turned deadly Saturday after a man charged toward an officer with a razor knife, the GBI said.
Savannah police responded to the camp near Fulton and Navajo roads about 8:30 a.m. after the owners of the private property called for assistance, according to the state agency.
“As officers approached the location of the last known homeless person located in a tent, the homeless man exited the tent in an aggressive manner holding a razor knife and another sharp object,” the GBI said in a news release. “The man failed to drop the weapons and obey officers’ orders.”
Two officers were able to get to a safe location, but one officer was “backed into an area,” according to the release. That officer opened fire on the homeless man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, the GBI said.
While the victim’s name will not be released until his family is notified, the investigation shows he is from California, according to the agency. No officers were injured in the incident.
This is the 88th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year.
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.
We’re working to learn more.
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