GSP officer fatally shoots man during traffic stop
A Georgia State Patrol officer fatally shot a man Thursday night during a traffic stop in Elberton, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.
The shooting happened on Highway 77 and Red Hill Road about 7:45 p.m., according to the report. Elberton is about 105 miles northeast of Atlanta.
The trooper stopped a vehicle driven by Edwin Amaya Maldonado, 24, according to preliminary information from the GSP. Maldonado was driving without a license, and the trooper suspected him of driving under the influence, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“The trooper attempted to arrest Maldonado for the offenses, at which time Maldonado resisted arrest and reached for the trooper’s gun belt,” according to the GBI.
The officer shot Maldonado once in the torso, and he died at the scene.
The GBI is investigating the incident, which is standard procedure in shootings involving police.
