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Man killed while allegedly trying to steal unmarked police car identified

Family said he had just turned 18 in December.

ATLANTA — The family attorney has identified a man who was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Atlanta, Tuesday night.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in late Tuesday after an officer fired his weapon and killed the suspect, 18-year-old D'ettrick Griffin.

It happened at a Shell gas station on Whitehall Street SW between Northside Drive and McDaniel Street, according to police.

The GBI's preliminary report says the plain-clothes officer was pumping gas for his unmarked vehicle at about 7:21 p.m. when the suspect, Griffin, entered his car and attempted to drive away.

The officer tried to stop the car as it drove off. During the incident, the officer fired his service weapon.

The suspect continued southbound on Whitehall Street where it hit two other cars before it stopped. Additional Atlanta police officers responded to the scene and found that the suspect had died at the scene. The officer received minor injuries.

It's unclear at this time if the officer was on or off-duty.

Right now, the GBI is not revealing the name of the officer. 

At the conclusion of its investigation, the case will be turned over to Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

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