Officer shoots man armed with machete outside LaGrange restaurant, police say

TROUP COUNTY, Ga. — LaGrange Police said officers were forced to shoot a man who was armed with a machete outside of a pizza restaurant early Tuesday morning.

An officer was called to the Karvelas Pizza restaurant on Lafayette Parkway around 5:15 a.m. in reference to a man walking around holding a machete.

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The officer later confirmed the man was 39-year-old Ronald McCormick, and learned that he was wanted on several warrants, including possession of methamphetamine, cruelty to children in the first degree, obstruction, battery, and possession of methamphetamine and drug-related items.

Police said the officer repeatedly asked McCormick to drop the machete. The officer used a Taser on McCormick but police said it was ineffective.

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The officer then fired his handgun, hitting McCormick multiple times. He was taken to the Piedmont Hospital in Columbus.

No officers were injured.

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the GBI Columbus Office at (706) 565-7888. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

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