Man Killed By Police After Dragging Marietta Officer With Car: GBI

MARIETTA, GA — A man who Marietta police say dragged an officer with his car outside of a Motel 6 had died after police shot him.

The man, identified as 26-year-old Rafael Esteban Ramirez, was shot and killed by an officer after he dragged and injured the officer with his car, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The shooting happened around 6 p.m. Thursday near the Motel 6 in the 23oo block of Delk Road in Marietta.

Investigators said that when officers approached a car Ramirez was driving, he reversed and hit a police car. Ramirez accelerated, pinning an officer between the marked car and his own, and dragging and injuring the officer, investigators said. Officers fired their weapons at Ramirez, hitting him.

The officer was treated and released from Kennestone Hospital. Ramirez was taken to Kennestone Hospital where he died, the GBI announced Friday.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the case will be given to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review.