A Georgia deputy shot and killed a man he was chasing after police say the man pulled out a gun

FORT VALLEY, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man he was chasing when investigators say the man pulled out a gun, authorities said Wednesday.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a Peach County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over Caleb Hooten on Tuesday afternoon in Fort Valley, but that Hooten didn’t stop. The deputy briefly pursued the 20-year-old Warner Robins resident until Hooten stopped his Honda Accord and ran into the woods behind an apartment complex.

Deputies ran after him, and authorities say Hooten produced a gun. A deputy fired his own gun, hitting Hooten. The man was taken to a Macon hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Residents of the apartment complex told WMAZ-TV that they saw a car speed around a corner, saw the man run into the woods, and then heard several gunshots.

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Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said that the deputy was justified in shooting the man

“He had to shoot him,” Deese said.

No deputies were injured.

Fort Valley is in middle Georgia, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Atlanta.

The Peach County district attorney will decide whether to seek criminal charges against the deputy once the GBI investigation is complete.

It’s the 77th police shooting the GBI has investigated in 2023.