POLK COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating after a state trooper fatally shot a man following a chase in Polk County.
The Georgia State Patrol said troopers were conducting a DUI patrol on Fish Creek Road around 12:15 a.m. Saturday when a vehicle attempted to elude law enforcement officers.
Troopers chased the car and it was stopped at the intersection of Collard Valley and Old Collard Valley roads. One passenger exited the vehicle when the chase ended, the GBI said.
As a a trooper made contact with the driver, identified as Jason Dennis Watkins, 36, Watkins accelerated the car and Trooper Johnathan Mason shot him.
Watkins was taken to Polk County Hospital where he died. An autopsy will be performed at the GBI crime lab in Decatur.
The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting and it will be turned over to the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit district attorney's office for review.
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