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Man being taken to jail allegedly shot during escape attempt in south Georgia

It's the 36th officer-involved shooting in Georgia this year.
Credit: WXIA

ATKINSON, Ga. — State agents are investigating after a man being taken to a south Georgia jail ended up being shot on the way there.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Lakeland Police Department called for the ageny's assistance on Tuesday after learning that one of their officers opened fire on a detained man as he allegedly tried to escape a transport vehicle.

The incident happened just before 11 p.m. as the transport entered Atkinson County along Highway 221 South. That's when the Lakeland, Georgia officer called 911 to report shots fired.

Officers with the Pearson Police Department and Atkinson County Sheriff's Office were the first agencies on the scene.

The bullets hit 48-year-old Roy Kyle Mathis during an altercation with the officer as Mathis allegedly tried to escape his trip to jail in neighboring Coffee County. The GBI reports Mathis was shot more than once.

He was taken to Coffee Regional Medical Center and then Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah - the nearest Level I trauma facility.

The GBI is continuing its independent investigation of the shooting and will turn its findings over to the Atkinson County District Attorney for review.

Anyone with information about the incident or video is asked to call the GBI office in Douglas, Georgia at 912-389-4103.

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