A man accused of shooting into a Cartersville gas station was wounded Thursday in an exchange of gunfire with a police officer, state officials said.
Cartersville police asked the GBI to probe the shooting, which sent Jose Luis Rivera, 45, to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The officer involved in the shootout, whose name was not released, was not injured, according to the GBI.
The officer was called to a Circle K on the corner of Joe Frank Harris Parkway and Felton Road at about 6:20 a.m. to investigate reports of a man with a gun. Witnesses said the man, later identified as Rivera, fired shots into the front glass window of the convenience store and pointed the weapon at customers in the parking lot, a GBI spokesperson said in a news release.
Rivera had his hands behind his back when the officer confronted him in the parking lot, spokesperson Nelly Miles said.
“The officer asked Rivera to show his hands, at which point Rivera ran behind the Circle K and away from the officer,” she said. “During the short chase, Rivera shot at the officer and the officer fired back at Rivera, hitting him.”
Rivera was taken to Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center, and an update on his condition was not provided. Upon his release from the hospital, Rivera will be arrested on a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer, according to the GBI.
It was not clear if he would face additional charges in the prior incident at the Circle K. Both Cartersville police and GBI agents were at the gas station Thursday placing evidence markers.
Police recovered a handgun from the scene, Miles said. The officer-involved shooting was the 103rd to be investigated by the GBI this year. In 2021, the agency investigated a total of 100 such cases.
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