The GBI is investigating a shooting involving two Commerce Police officers after a burglary call turned violent.
Police Chief Jeff Drossman said officers were dispatched around 6:30 Tuesday night to Forest Street following reports of a man breaking into a home. Victims told police the suspect kicked through a back door and threw bricks through a window, injuring an elderly man inside.
Officers located the suspect’s vehicle on Orchard Drive. When they approached, the man came out armed with a screwdriver and refused commands to drop it. Authorities said he charged at one officer, who fired. The suspect got back up and charged at a second officer, who also fired.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken to the Gainesville hospital. The elderly victim sustained injuries during the burglary, but no officers were hurt.
Witnesses at nearby ballfields reported hearing the suspect screaming before gunfire.