Man wanted for shooting K-9 officer in Cartersville during chase identified

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. - Multiple law enforcement agencies continue to search for a man, wanted for various offenses, who ran from deputies and reportedly shot a K-9 deputy.

It happened Thursday afternoon at a truck stop along U.S. 411 near Tellus Drive, just off Interstate 75 in Cartersville.

Police sources say the K-9 was shot multiple times.

SKYFOX 5 flew over the scene around 5:30 p.m. and saw a car in a retention pond near the gas station. Police officers appeared to be scouring the nearby woods.

The Bartow County Sheriff's Office identified the man they were chasing on Friday morning as 30-year-old Geoffry Frank Walker of Rome.

Walker is wanted in connection to a family violence incident that occurred Oct. 11 at the Cartersville Walmart on Market Place Boulevard. He is also wanted for another family violence and obstruction incident in Floyd County earlier in the day, according to the sheriff's office. 

Walker is 6-feet-4-inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has short, spiked, gold bleached hair and was last seen wearing gold/khaki pants, a white shirt, and a black and grey jacket. 

Witnesses at the scene echo what those sources were saying.

One of the clerks at the truck stop says it happened right in front of him and his father, who was dropping him off.

"He took off running into the woods and the police and my dad was standing beside the building, chasing after, because he pulled out in front of us. Well, he started running off into the woods," the clerk told FOX 5.

After fleeing into the woods, officials say the man fired at a deputy and a K-9 officer who followed after him, missing the deputy but hitting the dog.

"We heard about seven gunshots," the clerk said.

The Georgia State Patrol brought in their helicopter and their SWAT team joined the search on the ground. Despite the multiple agencies, the man managed to escape from being taken into custody.

K-9s were seen scouring the area for the man.

Residents who live nearby tell FOX 5 they have been stuck indoors for hours with officers patrolling the neighborhood and advising them to keep their doors and windows locked.

At the last report, the K-9 officer, which has been identified by the Georgia K9 Foundation, was still alive and was receiving treatment.

Anyone with information on the whereabout of Geoffrey Frank Walker is asked to contact the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office at 770-382-5050 or dial 911.