August 13, 2017
GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Habersham County, GA
Clarksville, Georgia – On Sunday, August 13, 2017, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to investigate an officer involved shooting occurring in Habersham County, Georgia. .
The preliminary investigation revealed that, at approximately 9:20 a.m., a Habersham County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated by Christopher Collins, 24, of 531 Tom Cantrell Road Cleveland, White County, Georgia, on Rosewood Drive near the intersection with Georgia Hwy 15 in Habersham County. A Be On the Look Out (BOLO) for the vehicle and Collins had been broadcasted to area law enforcement in reference to an aggravated assault incident involving a hand gun occurring in White County and an attempted car-jacking involving a firearm occurring in the City of Toccoa earlier in the morning. During the stop, Collins failed to comply with the deputy’s repeated commands to show his hands. Collins then exited the vehicle with a firearm at which time the deputy fired his duty weapon at Collins, striking him. Collins was pronounced deceased at the scene of the incident. No officers were injured during the incident.
The GBI investigation into the matter is ongoing.
The GBI will continue its independent investigation to determine what occurred during the incident. When the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for review.