Deputy Shoots, Kills Suspect In North Georgia

CLARKSVILLE, GA — A sheriff's deputy in north Georgia shot and killed an assault suspect after the man got out of his vehicle holding a firearm, authorities say.

At about 9:20 a.m. Sunday, a Habersham County Sheriff's deputy stopped a vehicle being driven by Christopher Collins, 24, of Cleveland, in White County. The stop was on Rosewood Drive, near Ga. 15.

A law-enforcement lookout for Collins and his vehicle had been issued earlier based on an aggravated assault incident involving a handgun in White County and a carjacking, also involving a handgun, in the city of Toccoa.

During the stop, Collins failed to comply with repeated commands from the deputy to show his hands, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He then got out of the vehicle holding a handgun, "at which time the deputy fired his duty weapon at Collins, striking him," according to the GBI.

Collins was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the incident.

As is routine in the case of law-enforcement shootings, the GBI was called in to conduct an independent investigation of the shooting. When the investigation is complete, results will be turned over to the district attorney's office in the Mountain Judicial District.

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