A sheriff’s deputy was killed in Georgia late July 7, sparking a manhunt for suspects that officials said were “armed and dangerous.”
Hall County Sheriff’s Office deputies were chasing a stolen car around 11 p.m. when the car crashed.
Several suspects exited the vehicle and fled on foot, with the deputies chasing them, the office said in a statement. Around 11:15 p.m., a firefight ensued.
“One of the deputies was struck by gunfire and was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where he died. His name is not being released at this time pending notification of family,” the statement said.
One of the people who inside the vehicle, believed to be the person who shot the deputy, was hit by gunshots and rushed to a nearby hospital.
His condition was not known.
Agent with @GBI_GA on scene of shooting that killed Hall Co. deputy. Traffic stop of stolen car wanted for burglaries and car break-ins, led to chase and crash…then shootout after foot chase. Deputy’s name not yet being released pic.twitter.com/cSU1pDbBQF
— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) July 8, 2019
“It’s a mix of sorrow, tragedy, and horror, with a lot of work ahead,” a Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told WSB-TV.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said Dixon was a husband and a father of two boys: a 9-year-old and a 4-month-old.
The remaining suspects are considered “armed and dangerous” and are being hunted down by the sheriff’s office, Gainesville Police Department, Georgia State Patrol officers, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Gwinnett County Police Department, the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s office at (770) 533-7693.
A spokesperson from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Nelly Miles, said this shooting is the 42nd officer-involved shooting that the bureau has contacted to help investigate this year.
The bureau said in a statement that it was responding to the officer-involved shooting and was “working to gather details.”
DEADLY POLICE SHOOTING INVESTIGATION underway by @GBI_GA in Hall County.
This is where running gunfight happened on Highland Ave late Sunday.
The suspects pursued by deputies are believed to be behind crimes over the weekend where guns were stolen. pic.twitter.com/FSo8Piub1M
— Kaitlyn Pratt (@Fox5Kaitlyn) July 8, 2019
The stolen car was connected to a string of burglaries and car break-ins, Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Several guns were stolen during the break-ins, authorities said.
This is the 42nd OIS that the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2019. https://t.co/Cmax225bT2
— Nelly Miles (@NMilesGBIPIO) July 8, 2019
Departments React
A number of police departments and sheriff’s offices around Georgia reacted to the news of the fallen deputy.
“It is with a heavy heart that we inform our readers that a Hall County Deputy was shot and killed last night. We are asking for prayers for the family and our neighbor agency,” the Banks County Sheriff’s Office stated.
“Bless Sheriff Couch, our brothers and sisters with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, and the deputy’s family. Another law enforcement officer has paid the ultimate price. Our prayers are with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office family,” added the Douglas, GA, Police Department.
“Please keep the Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the family of the fallen officer in your thoughts and prayers!” added the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
The CNN Wire contributed to this report.
