The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is currently probing an officer-involved shooting incident in Atlanta. The incident, which resulted in a minor being wounded, unfolded after Rashauny Mike Palmer, aged 25, fled from police custody in a series of events involving aggravated assault and an attempted carjacking. The GBI is leading the inquiry at the request of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, with no reported injuries to the officers involved.
According to the GBI, the chain of events began on Sunday, June 23, when Palmer was taken into custody by the Dallas Police Department on various assault and kidnapping charges. Despite being handcuffed and secured in a patrol vehicle, Palmer managed to escape and then led authorities on a chase after he fled in his Dodge Charger. The subsequent police intervention included a pit maneuver undertaken by a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy that failed to stop Palmer, ultimately, the pursuit resulted in Palmer crashing near Fulton Industrial Blvd.
Following the crash, Palmer attempted to carjack a BMW at a BP Gas station, which led to the deputy firing at the vehicle. Tragically, a minor inside the BMW sustained injuries in the shooting and was later hospitalized. As the investigation continues, Palmer, now in custody, faces a slew of charges from multiple agencies, encompassing obstruction of law enforcement, multiple battery charges including family violence, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, kidnapping, escape, and possession of weapons during the commission of felonies, according to the GBI's statement.
Additional charges filed by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office include felony fleeing and attempting to elude police, while the GBI’s charges encompass hijacking a motor vehicle in the 2nd degree, cruelty to children, and obstruction. The GBI has emphasized that their ongoing investigation is independent of the actions of local law enforcement and once finalized, the case file will be turned over to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office for review. The condition of the hospitalized minor is still under watch, as the community and the victims' families await further developments in the case.
