This morning, the Cartersville Police Department asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate an officer-involved shooting.
Preliminary information indicates that around 12:20 a.m., Cartersville P.D. officers observed an SUV belonging to Phillip Ross, age 49, of Cartersville, parked at the Oxygen Station behind the Shell gas pumps at 1338 East Main Street near I-75. Ross had an outstanding felony probation warrant out of Bartow County. As the officers approached Ross’s vehicle, Ross quickly reversed the vehicle out of the parking spot. Ross drove the SUV towards one of the officers, hitting the officer with the front of his SUV. That officer and a second officer fired shots at Ross. During the shooting, the SUV’s engine caught on fire. Responding officers extinguished the flames. Emergency personnel took Ross to Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The officer that the SUV hit did not report any physical issues. No other officers were injured either.
The GBI will complete its independent investigation, and once complete, it will give the case to the Bartow County District Attorney’s Office for review. This incident is the 112th officer-involved shooting law enforcement has asked the GBI to investigate in 2022.