A game warden in Georgia fatally shot a man who allegedly assaulted him with a knife in a rural Middle Georgia incident, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.
The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon near a wooded spot in Wilkinson County, where the game warden had gone following a tip about suspected poaching. As the officer walked towards the area, he found himself face to face with a man who became aggressive and, according to authorities, drew a knife and ran towards the warden.
“The man refused to cooperate verbally and came at him weapon in hand,” the GBI explained in a statement. “The warden fired his weapon, and he struck the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Police have not publicly identified the deceased, who are yet to have next of kin notified. There were no police injured in the incident.
The GBI is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting, which is standard practice for all officer-involved shootings throughout the state. Its findings will be turned over to the district attorney’s office for review.
Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, which is the employer of the warden, said that it’s cooperating fully with the investigation and supported the officer in question.
