Commerce Shooting Victim Dies as GBI Investigation Continues
A Commerce man wounded by police on July 16 died July 26, as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation continues its independent review.
A man wounded during an officer-involved shooting in Commerce died July 26, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is continuing its independent investigation into what happened.
Levi Long, 22, of Commerce, was pronounced dead at a hospital on Sunday, July 26, according to a July 28 update from the GBI. The agency said Long’s body would be taken to its Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
What happened on July 16
The shooting followed a reported domestic dispute at a home on Forest Avenue in Commerce, according to the GBI’s account. The caller reported that a man had kicked in a door, threatened other residents and fled to another home in the 200 block of Orchard Drive.
Commerce police officers went to the Orchard Drive residence at about 6:45 p.m. The GBI said officers encountered a man holding a screwdriver. After officers ordered him to slow down and stop, the agency said he moved rapidly toward them while holding the screwdriver in an aggressive manner.
Two officers fired, striking the man several times. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. No officers were injured.
CBS News Atlanta reported that Commerce Police Chief Jeff Drossman said the man charged toward one officer and then, after being shot, got back up and charged toward a second officer. The GBI identified the object as a screwdriver.
What happens next
Commerce police requested the GBI investigation, which opened July 17. The GBI, rather than the Commerce Police Department alone, is handling the independent review.
Once the investigation is complete, the GBI said it will send the case to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review. The available updates do not announce a charging decision, a conclusion about the officers’ conduct or a final finding about legal responsibility.
For Commerce residents, the next documented steps are the GBI investigation, the planned autopsy and the district attorney’s review after the case is completed. No final investigative conclusion or charging decision has been announced in the approved sources.
Sources
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