A man who reportedly said he wanted to die at the hands of law enforcement was shot and wounded by a deputy from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.
Nelly Miles, spokeswoman with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said agents were called Monday, Feb. 8 to conduct an investigation into the officer-involved shooting in Jasper.
"The investigation indicates that at approximately 2:30 p.m., the Pickens County 911 Center received a request for a welfare check on a man that was expressing suicidal thoughts at a residence on Dianne Street," Miles wrote in a media statement. "The man was reportedly armed with a replica gun and expressed a desire to die at the hands of law enforcement."
The man identified as Chris Childers, 46, was armed when deputies arrived, according to Miles. The deputies told Childers to put the weapon down, and at one point he did so, but when he picked up the gun again, a deputy shot him.
Miles said two deputies rendered aid to Childers until emergency medical personnel arrived to take him to the hospital.
"The GBI determined that the weapon Childers was armed with was a PFM16 CO2 powered BB pistol, which has the appearance of a standard firearm," Miles said.
Authorities did not provide an update on Childers' medical condition.
Miles said the shooting is the seventh officer-involved shooting case the GBI has been asked to investigate this year.
Once the GBI investigation is complete, findings will be turned over to the Appalachian Judicial Circuit District Attorney for review.
