Adel, GA – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has launched an inquiry at the request of the Adel Police Department after a man reportedly shot himself during an encounter with law enforcement late Saturday night in Cook County.
According to preliminary findings, a witness called 911 around 10:31 p.m. on September 13 to report a single-vehicle accident near the intersection of South Elm Street and West Fifth Street in Adel. When officers arrived at the crash site, they discovered the car unoccupied.
An officer spotted a man walking nearby who was believed to have been the driver. As the officer pulled up in a patrol car to question him, the man drew a firearm and shot himself before the officer could exit the vehicle. The incident was recorded on the officer’s patrol car video.
The man was rushed to a local hospital and later airlifted to a hospital in Florida, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit.
Authorities said that once the investigation is complete, the findings will be submitted to the Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
The case remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Adel Police Department at (229) 896-2224, the GBI Region 4 Douglas Office at (912) 389-4103, or submit tips anonymously by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), visiting gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or using the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.
