Man on parole who GBI says was stealing mail shot to death by trooper in Caroll County

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia Department of Corrections records show a man was out on parole when a trooper shot him Tuesday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Jason Scott Fletcher, 51, of Hogansville, died at the hospital, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

One woman told Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco she saw deputies searching for him Tuesday afternoon before the deadly chase.

“He wasn’t running very fast. I’m 78 and I could have caught him myself,” said Elizabeth Gabriel.

Gabriel said he was running on her property on Little New York Road in Carrollton, where investigators searched for a mail thief.

Her neighbor, Wendy Mooney, said it’s not the first time people have caught criminals checking mailboxes on the road.

“We have had people come through before with people stealing mail,” said Mooney.

TRENDING STORIES:

• If you are facing medical debt, Clark Howard says this is how you can get it down, even forgiven
• ‘I can’t breathe:’ Girlfriend of airman shot to death by Florida deputies reveals his last moments
• Victims identified in crash that left 4 dead on GA highway, including 3-year-old

The GBI said the mail theft investigation took a deadly turn when they found Fletcher in a silver SUV and tried to stop him. He refused to pull over, leading deputies on a chase.

Investigators said troopers stepped in to help. One of the troopers set out stop sticks on Highway 5 and Banks Circle in Roopville.

The GBI said the preliminary investigation leads agents to believe Fletcher tried to hit that trooper, leading to the trooper shooting through the SUV and hitting Fletcher.

Channel 2 Action News requested the name of the trooper involved, but GSP nor the GBI would release that information Wednesday.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said Fletcher has been arrested in that county before. His mug shot dates back to 2019.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Georgia Department of Corrections records show Fletcher was convicted of three counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer, one count of obstruction of a law enforcement officer, one county possession of methamphetamine and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2020 and released on parole in 2022.

Fletcher’s DOC record also shows he served a three-year prison sentence for various drug charges in Douglas County.

The GBI is leading the investigation into his death. Agents will give the evidence gathered to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, and prosecutors there will decide if the trooper was justified in shooting him.

IN OTHER NEWS:

‘This is your life:’ Hip-Hop music artists demand an end to violence following music video shooting

©2024 Cox Media Group