UPDATE: Banks County shooting, kidnapping suspect killed in shootout with FBI in Atlanta
The suspect in the shooting of a Banks County Deputy Sheriff may now be in the Atlanta area. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Banks County Sheriff’s Office are presently investigating a kidnapping that occurred within hours of the deputy’s shooting.
Authorities say a Commerce woman arrived home Wednesday to find a suspect matching the shooter’s description inside her home. The house is located approximately two miles from where the deputy was shot. The woman was forced at gunpoint to drive the suspect to the metro Atlanta area before she was released.
The kidnapping victim sustained minor injuries, according to officials. The GBI says investigators are working to determine the exact time and location of the suspect arriving in the Atlanta area.
Authorities are circulating a GBI forensic sketch of the suspect in the hope someone will recognize him and contact authorities.
He’s described as a black male, approximately 30-40 years old and was last seen wearing black clothing. During the kidnapping incident, the suspect took a burgundy in-color “Ingles” grocery store pullover shirt.
The GBI and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the identity and capture of the suspect.
Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI Tip-line at 1-800-597-8477, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 706-367-3784, or the Banks County Sheriff’s Office at 706-677-2248.
Manhunt begins
The incident began Wednesday shortly after 4 p.m. when law enforcement was called to the scene of an armed robbery at the Atlanta Dragway at 500 East Ridgeway Road in Commerce.
The suspect fled the scene in a stolen vehicle. Banks County deputies attempted to stop the stolen vehicle at nearby Tanger Outlet Center located at 800 Steven B. Tanger Boulevard. That’s when the shooting occurred.
Banks County Sheriff’s Lt. Carissa McFadden says the suspect exited the stolen vehicle and fired multiple times at deputies before fleeing across I-85. One deputy was struck by a round, but the bullet was stopped by his ballistic vest. The deputy was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
