A Georgia DNR ranger shot a suicidal man dead in Grovetown on Sunday before he knew sheriff’s deputies were responding to the depressed subject, authorities said.
The GBI has been asked to investigate the officer-involved shooting, which occurred on Baker Place Road in Grovetown.
Authorities say the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call around 8 p.m. Sunday concerning a suicidal subject walking on foot in the area of Baker Place Road.
While deputies were responding to the area, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Ranger was also in the area conducting an unrelated investigation and was unaware of the 911 call concerning the suicidal subject.
According to GBI’s Pat Morgan, “The DNR ranger made contact with the subject on Baker Place Road and during the encounter the subject produced a handgun. The DNR Ranger fired his firearm striking the subject. The subject was transported to Doctors Hospital in Augusta, where he died as a result of his injuries. The DNR Ranger was not injured during the incident.”
The subject is identified as 28-year-old David Sean Owens, 28, of Grovetown.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation to determine what occurred during the incident. When the investigation is complete it will be turned over to the Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for any action they deem appropriate, Morgan said.
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