Man fatally shot by Georgia State Patrol is identified

A man who fired at the Georgia State Patrol late Friday in Lumpkin, Ga., before he was fatally shot has been identified, a Stewart County official said Wednesday.

William Dwayne Darby, 39, of Tallahassee, Fla., died of a gunshot wound to the torso, Steward County Coroner Sybil Sammons said. Darby was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting on Humber Field Road.

The 11:57 p.m. shooting remains under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after receiving a request from the Georgia State Patrol. The GBI hasn’t released the name or status of the trooper after the fatal shooting.

Authorities said the trooper spotted a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Highway 27 in Stewart County near milepost 11. The driver of the 2009 Pontiac failed to stop for the trooper and a southbound pursuit ensued on the roadway.

During the pursuit, the Pontiac turned onto Humber Field Road and crashed before the armed driver stepped from the vehicle and fired on the trooper. The trooper returned gunfire, striking the driver.

A female passenger in the Pontiac was taken to Southwest Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released. She was not involved in the shooting incident.

The GBI said Darby wasn’t wanted by authorities before the chase ensued.

The investigation will be turned over to the Stewart County District Attorney's Office for review after it is completed.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Man fatally shot by Georgia State Patrol is identified."