DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — Douglas County police are investigating an officer-involved shooting Wednesday afternoon in
Lithia Springs.
The shooting happened on Preston Boulevard outside the Sweetwater Creek apartments.
Police said they were responding to suspicious person call around 1:30 p.m. Witnesses said that when they arrived at the scene, police confronted a naked man.
"It's not every day that you see someone walking around without any clothes on in the neighborhood, and it appeared that he was just going on a casual stroll," witness Deonte Bridges told Channel 2’s Ross Cavitt.
Witnesses said the man lunged at an officer and was shot in the arm. They said the man seemed disoriented.
“He really tried to get at the officer, and not only did he lunge at him, he tried to swing at him, and it appeared as if he tried to punch him one or two times, and that’s when the officer discharged his firearm,” Bridges said. "It seemed as if the officer was just trying to check on him to make sure that he was OK and in a decent state of mind, because apparently, something had to be wrong for him to be outside walking around in this weather without any clothes on."
The man was also shocked with a Taser. Police said he was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“He was waving his hand in front of his face probably about 2-3 feet away from him," witness Michael Ware told Channel 2’s Carl Willis.
No officers were injured in the incident. The GBI is investigating the shooting.
Witnesses said the incident is an eye-opener.
“We recognize the times that we’re living in and we know that things have been going on with those individuals not being held accountable for their actions. I definitely commend the officer for doing his job the right way,” Bridges said.
Other witnesses say questions remain.
"Just a couple of questions: Why was he naked? And then why was he not responsive to what the officer was saying," Ware said.