Georgia: Man shot with own gun after struggle with trooper

SPARTA, Ga. (AP) — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says a confrontation with a trooper that ended with a man dead isn't being considered an officer-involved shooting because the man was fatally shot with his own weapon.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports 22-year-old Dequane Rayshun Williams struggled with a Georgia State Patrol trooper in Hancock County and died Wednesday.

A GBI statement says the preliminary investigation indicates no law-enforcement officers fired their weapons during the incident, and Williams' fatal wounds were self-inflicted. GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said the agency doesn't consider the incident an officer-involved shooting.

Williams was a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop in Sparta. Authorities say he approached a deputy, who recognized him as having an arrest warrant.

Authorities say Williams fled and pointed a pistol in one of the deputies' direction. The trooper later made physical contact with Williams, whose gun fired multiple times, striking him.