A South Georgia sheriff’s deputy exchanged gunfire with a teenager who fired shots from a rifle before dawn Thursday, authorities said.
Harold Alexander Jr., 18, of Houston, Texas, was shot in the hand and treated at a hospital before being taken to jail in Thomas County, which is located west of Valdosta and about 16 miles north of the Florida line. Alexander had been the subject of an eight-hour manhunt that started with a traffic stop and ended when he was discovered hiding in a shed, according to the GBI.
The GBI is investigating the incident as the state’s 38th officer-involved shooting of the year at the request of the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office.
According to state officials, Thomasville police attempted to pull over a van that did not have a license plate around 5 a.m. Thursday. The van sped off, causing officers to lose sight of it. Deputies with the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office joined in the search and ultimately found the van abandoned on Bartow Street, near Wright Street in Thomasville.
Alexander was found hiding under a nearby house, according to the GBI.
“As officers chased Alexander, Alexander fired numerous rounds from a rifle at the officers,” GBI agents said in a news release. “A Thomas County Sheriff’s Office deputy fired back at Alexander; however, he got away. It was unknown at that time if Alexander had been shot.”
As they searched, authorities locked down an area near an elementary school and closed roads to traffic. Alexander was eventually found in a shed and taken into custody around 1 p.m. on charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer and felony obstruction.
Officers recovered the rifle near the scene, according to the GBI. No officers were injured in Thursday’s shooting, and it is unknown at this time if the deputy who fired on Alexander has been placed on administrative leave.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Thomasville Office at 229-225-4090 or the Thomasville Police Department at 229-226-2101. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online or by downloading the GBI’s See Something, Say Something mobile app.
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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