Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigates Winterville officer-involved shooting

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is conducting an independent investigation into an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Winterville, Georgia, on Sunday, November 1.

The incident began when an Athens-Clarke County police officer attempted to stop a black SUV due to outstanding arrest warrants for the driver, 33-year-old Derrell Dukes. A Winterville police officer arrived to assist during the stop. According to preliminary reports, Dukes opened his vehicle door but abruptly closed it and drove away. As the vehicle pulled away, an officer fired a single shot toward the SUV.

A pursuit followed, ending in a crash in the 3000 block of Spratlin Mill Road in Hull, Madison County. Dukes and a female passenger sustained minor injuries in the crash and were treated at a local hospital before being released. No one was injured by gunfire. Dukes and passenger Peyton Ragland, 28, were subsequently booked into the Clarke County Jail on outstanding warrants unrelated to the shooting.