GBI investigating officer involved shooting in Varnell

Varnell, Ga., Police Chief Lyle Grant said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into an incident this morning in which one of his officers fired a shot that wounded a motorist.

Grant said the wound was not life-threatening and the officer was not hurt.

The officer was responding this morning to a call at the Circle K convenience store, Grant said, when the motorist drove away. The chief said he doesn't know what the call was about.

At any rate, the motorist and the officer raced down Cleveland Highway, Grant said, with speeds exceeding 100 mph. They reached Stonegate, a Cohutta subdivision in development, when the motorist stopped. The officer got out of his car, Grant said, but the motorist then drove his own vehicle toward him.

"My officer had nowhere to take cover," Grant said, "so he fired his weapon."

He said the bullet hit the front windshield and the suspect took off. The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office then chased the suspect and caught him in Tunnel Hill.

This is a developing story.

Upcoming Events