Authorities: Man shot by trooper after firing high-caliber rifle at patrol post - Gainesville Times
\x3Cp\x3EA Gainesville man may have had a death wish when he was shot by a Georgia State Patrol trooper Monday morning after pulling up to the Cleveland Highway post and firing a high\x2Dcaliber rifle, authorities said Monday. \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3E\x26ldquo\x3BHe was saying to the troopers, \x26lsquo\x3BYou guys are going to have to kill me,\x26rsquo\x3B\x26rdquo\x3B GBI spokeswoman Sherry Lang said at an afternoon press conference. \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3ELeighton Beaux Marchetta, 21, pulled up in a silver Ford F350 pickup truck at about 8 a. m. to the patrol office at 2000 Cleveland Highway and started firing near the building that houses the Specialized Collision... \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3E\x26ldquo\x3BIt\x26rsquo\x3Bs state patrol, state patrol,\x26rdquo\x3B the caller said. Shots fired, shots fired. \x26rdquo\x3B\x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3EThe caller then hung up. \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3E\x26ldquo\x3BThe preliminary information is that he fired two shots,\x26rdquo\x3B Lang said. \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3E\x26ldquo\x3BHe did not comply with the commands and continued to advance toward the troopers,\x26rdquo\x3B Lang said. \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3EAt that point, Trooper Steve Thompson shot Marchetta, striking him in the right shoulder, Lang said. \x3C/p\x3E\x0D\x0A\x3Cp\x3E\x26ldquo\x3BThe man fell to the ground and dropped his rifle,\x26rdquo\x3B the GBI said in a press release. Source: www.gainesvilletimes.com
