AUBURN, Ga. — Newly-released body camera video shows the moment when a man pulled a gun and shot at an officer in Auburn, Georgia.
Auburn police Sgt. Jeff Scott was trying to find a man accused of threatening a woman Sunday afternoon at her home on Wages Road.
The suspect, Stephen Frank Nichols, ran into a wooded area behind the house.
The exclusive video obtained by Channel 2 Action News shows Scott approach Nichols and ask if he saw a man run by. Nichols tries to pretend like he is not the man the officer is looking for, but then pulls out a gun and fires.
"He attempted to ambush and murder Sgt. Scott," Auburn police Chief Carl Maulder said.
Maulder said the confrontation happened in a split second. He said the rest of the video shows a gun battle between Scott and Nichols. That part of the video was withheld because the GBI is investigating the shooting.
"The officer was attempting to reload while Mr. Nichols was still firing on him," Maulder said.
Nichols was shot three times and was taken to a hospital, where he is still recovering.
The officer was not seriously injured.
Maulder said the body camera video is instrumental in capturing the truth of what happened.
"We want to be open and transparent," he said.
Nichols faces charges of assault on an officer and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Body cam video shows moments before officer involved shootingAn officer responding to a domestic disturbance thought he had come across a harmless bystander, but the man pulled out a gun and opened fire: http://2wsb.tv/2pk7HGr
Posted by WSB-TV on Thursday, April 20, 2017
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