FORT VALLEY, Ga. — A man is dead after being shot by a Peach County Deputy, according to a release from the GBI.
A deputy attempted to pull over a Honda Accord on State University Drive just before 3 p.m. on Tuesday. After the driver did not stop, a chase began. The driver, 20-year-old Caleb Hooten, of Warner Robins stopped and got out of the Honda near the Marvin Garden Apartments and ran into the woods.
Deputies chased Hooten into the woods, where they say Hooten pulled a gun. The deputy shot Wooten. He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Neighbors at the apartment complex said they saw a car speed around a corner and then saw a man get out and ran toward the woods. That's when they heard several shots.
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese says that the deputy had no choice.
"He had to shoot him," Deese said.
The GBI will continue an independent investigation. Once complete, it will be given to the Peach County District Attorney’s Office for review.
This is the 77th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2023.