A pedestrian who was hit by a truck was shot by police officers after brandishing a knife

October 1, 2019
1 min read
A pedestrian who was hit by a truck was shot by police officers after brandishing a knife

GAINESVILLE — A pedestrian who was hit by a car Monday night is in critical condition after he was shot multiple times by police who say the man brandished a knife and threatened police officers and firefighters with it.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, 911 received a call about a pedestrian hit by a vehicle on West Avenue in Gainesville. Witnesses told police the male pedestrian was impaired and stumbling down the middle of West Avenue when a truck at a low rate of speed attempted to go around him. 

According to the GBI, the man walked into the truck and fell down from the impact. The man was told to stay down on the ground in case of injury but refused and walked away from the accident.

The Gainesville Fire Department responded and followed the man into a wooded lot to assess his injuries. According to the GBI, the man produced a knife and pointed it at the firefighters, who backed out and called for assistance.

Two Gainesville police officers responded and found the man in the wooded lot. Police say the man was given multiple verbal commands to drop the knife. He then moved towards the officers brandishing the knife, at which point one officer discharged his weapon multiple times. The other officer also shot the man with his Taser.

The man was secured and transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery and remains in critical condition.

No officers were injured in this incident.

The GBI will continue its independent investigation of the incident. Once complete, it will be turned over to the Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

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