The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Hall County. One man was shot and died at the scene. No officers were injured.
Preliminary information indicates that just before 9:25 p.m. on October 25, a 911 caller reported a vehicle was stopped in the middle of F. Gilmer Road just off Highway 52 in Hall County. A Hall County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived on the scene and found a man and woman standing outside of the car.
“During the investigation, a man identified as Javier Manuel Soto, age 25, of Gainesville, Georgia, pulled a weapon, firing multiple shots at the deputy and hitting the deputy in his duty belt. The deputy fired multiple times, hitting and killing Soto,” says GBI Director of Public Affairs Nelly Miles.
The woman ran from the scene into the woods. Other deputies who arrived on the scene quickly found her. She was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Keeping with standard protocol, the GBI will conduct an independent investigation. The Hall County deputy is now on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of that investigation.
Once the investigation is complete, the file will be given to the Hall County District Attorney’s Office for review.
This is the 97th officer-involved shooting the GBI has investigated this year.
