An Atlanta police officer is on paid administrative leave while state officials investigate if he was justified in shooting a driver who disregarded his commands.
The shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. Saturday on Northside Drive as one of the final events at the Georgia Dome, the Atlanta Supercross, ended.
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According to the GBI, the agency investigating the shooting, Sgt. Mathieu Cadeau was working an off-duty job directing traffic when he encountered a white Ford F350 van driven by Noel Hall, 46, of North Carolina.
Cadeau was in uniform, which is standard procedure when directing traffic, Atlanta police officials said. He was wearing a traffic vest, too.
Hall disregarded the officer’s commands and drove in his direction, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.
That is when Cadeau fired his gun and hit Hall, she said. Other people were inside the van but were not injured.
The van continued left onto Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard from Northside Drive for several blocks before one of the passengers called 911, Miles said. The vehicle eventually stopped and Hall was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.
Hall was in town for the Supercross event, Atlanta police told Channel 2 Action News. Evidence from the scene indicates he was not armed, Miles said.
Cadeau is a supervisor in the field operations division who has been with the Atlanta Police Department since July 2007, Channel 2 reported.
When the investigation is complete, the GBI will turn over the agency’s findings to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review, Miles said.
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