SPARTA, Ga. (AP) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says a confrontation with a trooper that ended with a man dead isn’t being considered an officer-involved shooting because the man was fatally shot with his own weapon.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports 22-year-old Dequane Rayshun Williams struggled with a Georgia State Patrol trooper in Hancock County and died Wednesday.
A GBI statement says the preliminary investigation indicates no law enforcement officers fired their weapons during the incident and Williams’ fatal wounds were self-inflicted. GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said the agency doesn’t consider the incident an officer-involved shooting.
Williams was a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop in Sparta. Authorities say he approached a deputy, who recognized him as having an arrest warrant.
Authorities say Williams fled and pointed a pistol in one of the deputies’ direction. The trooper later made physical contact with Williams, whose gun fired multiple times, striking him.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
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