A man sought in connection with a brutal assault in South Carolina was fatally shot by police in Savannah after authorities said he wielded a knife at the officers who found him.
Shawn Martin, 45, was pronounced dead at a hospital following the shooting, the GBI said Wednesday in a statement. No officers were injured.
Investigators had been searching for Martin in connection with an aggravated assault that happened in Beaufort County, South Carolina, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said. Few details were released about the case, but the GBI said the victim suffered multiple skull fractures and had her car stolen.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office believed Martin was in possession of the woman’s car.
On Tuesday evening, Savannah police officers spotted the stolen car and pulled it over. Martin wasn’t behind the wheel, but the person driving said police could find him at his mother’s house.
“Subsequently, officers went to the home and received permission from the homeowner to search for Martin,” Miles said.
Police were searching the home about 9:40 p.m. when an officer found Martin hiding in a closet, the GBI said. The officer opened the closet door, and Martin came out swinging a knife, the agency said.
“Officers gave verbal commands to drop the knife, but he did not comply,” Miles said. “Two officers fired their weapons, both hitting Martin.”
The shooting is the 97th incident involving a law enforcement officer the GBI has been asked to investigate this year. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don’t involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI’s tally.
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