October 30, 2019
GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Whitfield County
UPDATE:
October 30, 2019: The subject in this investigation has been identified as Matthew James Fleming.
ORIGINAL RELEASE:
Whitfield County, GA (October 25, 2019) – On Friday, October 25, 2019, at approximately 4:50 PM, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was requested by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office to investigate an officer involved shooting.
Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 4:30 PM, Whitfield County 911 received several calls about a male subject in the middle of Abutment Road in Dalton, Whitfield County, Georgia yelling at cars and people at businesses. Whitfield County deputies responded to the scene. At approximately 4:40 PM, the first arriving deputy encountered the male subject. The subject would not comply to the deputies’ requests to help him or verbal commands to stop or show his hands. The subject then turned an attempted to draw a weapon from his waist. The deputy continued to give verbal commands, but the subject refused to comply and again attempted to draw his weapon. The deputy fired several times. The subject was struck by the deputy’s gunfire and died at the scene.
No officers were injured in this incident.
The GBI will continue its independent investigation. Once complete, it will be turned over to the Whitfield County District Attorney’s Office for review.