LAGRANGE, Ga. - Officers opened fire on a man who struck his wife with a vehicle and dragged her down an embankment on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the LaGrange Police Department says.
Reginald Saffold, 32, will be charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and kidnapping all as family violence acts once he is released from the hospital, police say.
It started as a 911 call just before 11 a.m. along Moore’s Hill. Police say the caller told dispatchers Saffold had forced his wife into a vehicle at knife point. Officers arrived at the scene and tried to reason with Saffold.
At some point, Saffold’s wife tried to run from the vehicle, but police say he hit the gas pedal, intentionally striking her and dragging her down off the road. Police say officers opened fire to try to stop him.
The woman was safely pulled off of the vehicle by officers once down the embankment, police say.
Officers continued to try to negotiate with Saffold, who revved the engine. After a short time of not hearing anything from the vehicle, officers approached. Police say officers found Saffold suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
Both Saffold and his wife were taken to Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center before being transferred to Piedmont Columbus Regional Medical Center for further treatment. Their conditions were not immediately known as of Wednesday evening.
The LaGrange Police Department is conducting an internal investigation and have asked the GBI to handle the external officer-involved shooting investigation.