3 officers are wounded and 1 suspect is dead, Georgia sheriff says

Three Georgia police officers were shot as they pursued two brothers from Alabama in a high-speed chase that ended early Monday with one brother shot and killed and the other in custody, authorities said.

A Georgia State Patrol trooper clocked a Nissan Sentra going 111 mph on Interstate 20 and initiated a traffic stop around 3:30 a.m., Georgia State Patrol Capt. Brandon Dawson said.

When the trooper tried to bump the Sentra, a passenger used a rifle to fire at the patrol car and hit it, taking it out of action, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation news release.

The driver of the Sentra continued to flee, going through the city of Carrollton, where local police officers joined the chase. At some point, a passenger leaned out and fired a shot into a police vehicle, hitting Carrollton Police Sgt. Rob

Holloway, Carrollton Police Chief Joel Richards said. The officer lost control of his vehicle and hit a utility pole.

Villa Rica police officers pursued the car down a side road, Villa Rica Police Chief Michael Mansour said. The Sentra then crashed near an elementary school and two men ran from the vehicle, the GBI release says.

As officers searched for the two men, shots were fired at them, the GBI said. Villa Rica Police officer Chase Gordy returned fire and was shot twice, the GBI said. Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Jay Repetto was shot in the arm, Sheriff Terry Langley said.

One of the men from the Sentra was shot and killed by officers and the other was taken into custody, Langley said.

“It could have been a lot worse, and we’re thankful and we pray for the speedy recovery of those officers,” Langley said.