7/5/23 Crisp County, GA – Traffic Stop – Man In Stolen Vehicle Shoots And Kills Deputy – Steals Crisp County Patrol Car – Later Arrested

A sheriff’s deputy in Middle Georgia has died after he was shot during a traffic stop in Cordele early Wednesday, authorities said.

After the shooting, the suspect is accused of taking the Crisp County deputy’s patrol vehicle, which law enforcement pursued through several Georgia counties, according to the sheriff’s office. The GBI has been called to investigate the incident.

“(The) deputy met evil as he patrolled the streets of Crisp County,” Sheriff Billy Hancock said in a statement while surrounded by members of other agencies.

At around 3:40 a.m., the deputy was conducting a traffic stop on a “suspicious” vehicle in the middle of U.S. 280 when he determined it was allegedly stolen and the suspect was wanted for several burglaries, Hancock said. After getting out, the deputy was shot by the suspect, who took his patrol vehicle and drove away, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputy was taken in critical condition to Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele, where he died, Hancock said.

Monroe County deputies eventually arrested the suspect on I-475. The patrol vehicle was recovered.

The deputy and suspect have not been publicly identified. The investigation is ongoing.