A Fort Oglethorpe police officer was shot while trying to serve a warrant on Wednesday morning and a nearby Walker County deputy fatally shot the suspect.
The officer, identified as Mitchell Moore, was saved by his body armor after being shot in the back. He was treated at Erlanger Hospital, then released.
The man who was killed was identified at 34-year-old John Coates of Rossville. His body was taken to Hutcheson Hospital and then to the GBI crime lab in Atlanta.
The incident happened around 10 a.m. at the Chick-Fil-A parking lot on Battlefield Parkway.
The Walker County deputy, who is a warrant officer, spotted Coates on a side street in Fort Oglethorpe and recognized that he was wanted on a felony stalking charge.
Coates, who was driving a pickup truck, pulled into the restaurant parking lot next to the busy highway. The deputy called for backup from the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department.
The suspect had words with the deputy and Officer Moore, vowing to fight rather than being taken to jail.
Authorities said police had been called out on several domestic incidents involving the man.
Officer Moore, seeing that the man was resisting, tried unsuccessfully to use a taser on him. The man reached into his glove box and pulled out a handgun, then began firing. The two officers began ducking for cover.
After Officer Moore was struck in the back, the deputy fired twice at Coates.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident. The deputy will be assigned to administrative duties until the probe is completed.
There were numerous police vehicles at the scene, including the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department, the Walker County Sheriff's Department, and the GBI.
The parking lot was roped off after the incident.
The restaurant owner said he was called to the scene, and his Chick-Fil-A was closed for several hours.
Acquaintances of the victim said he had a 10-year-old daughter.