Updated: GBI probes Troup County deputy shooting
Published 12:00 am Monday, June 29, 2015
By Tyler H. Jones tjones@civitasmedia.com LaGRANGE — A LaGrange man who allegedly fired a gun at a Troup County Sheriff’s deputy early this morning was shot twice and injured when the deputy returned fire. Click here to view a video of the incident, as provided by the GBI. Terry Caldwell, 60, allegedly fired two shots with an AK-47 style pistol at deputy Stephen D’Angelo at a home in the 3200 block of Hamilton Road shortly after midnight. Caldwell was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and was alert and talking this morning, according to Troup County Sheriff James Woodruff. A adult civilian was also in the patrol car as a “ride along,” but was uninjured, according to Sgt. Stewart Smith, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office. The deputy was uninjured and placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the GBI’s investigation, the sheriff said. “Right after midnight, we got a call that shots were fired in the area,” the sheriff said. “Once the deputy got there, he encountered the suspect sitting under his carport in a chair and (he) was ranting and raving about something. You can’t really tell what he was mad about, but during that brief encounter, he picks up a gun and shoots a couple of times toward our deputy. The deputy returns fire, striking him twice. He struck him in the elbow, which ended up going through into his torso, and he struck him in the leg.” The deputy fired a total of four shots, Woodruff said. The incident was captured on an in-car video system, Woodruff said. Audio of the event was also captured, but Woodruff said it is unclear as of yet when that audio recording begins. Woodruff said based on the initial investigation, he believed the deputy appears to have acted in self-defense. “As standard protocol, we’ve called in the GBI and they are conducting an investigation,” he said. “Anytime we have an officer-involved shooting, we want them (GBI) to come in as a unbiased third party to look at it and investigating that. … We have no reason to believe this is anything other than a justified shooting.” Caldwell faces charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The deputy was initially responding to the area after a 911 caller reported shots fired in the area. D’Angelo began working at the sheriff’s office in August 2014, according to Woodruff. The suspect, Caldwell, had no previous encounters with deputies at the residence where the shooting occurred, but deputies had been dispatched there in the past, Woodruff said. No further information was available at press time. Tyler H. Jones is a reporter for LaGrange Daily News. He may be reached at 706-884-7311, ext. 2155.
Donny Karr | Daily News Troup County Sheriff’s deputy Stephen D’Angelo responded to this home in the 3200 block of Hamilton Road early Monday morning when a man there allegedly fired two shots at the deputy. The deputy, who was uninjured, returned four shots at the man, striking him twice. The man survived and was airlifted to an Atlanta hospital.