A man was shot by a Polk County sheriff’s deputy answering a call to a Hillsdale Avenue residence Saturday afternoon.

Polk County Sheriff Johnny Moats said the deputy responded to the call because other jurisdictions were busy and he was only about a half mile from the residence.

When the deputy arrived, he was told by a relative that the man was inside the residence “acting crazy” and “tearing things up.”

Another relative let the deputy into the residence. When the man approached the officer, he had a baseball bat and a big knife.

The deputy told the man to drop the items and the man refused. The man said to the deputy “shoot me,” Moats said.

The man then lunged at the deputy and the deputy fired his weapon, striking the victim in the chest. No one else in the house was injured.

The GBI has been called in to investigate as is standard for all officer involved shootings, Moats said.

We will have more details as they develop.

Source: WRGA News, Rome