SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - UPDATE: 5:45 p.m.
In a press release Sunday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed 50-year-old Sergeant Kelvin Ansari died as a result of the shooting.
The GBI says the shooting took place Saturday night on the 2000-block of Bull Street, after police were investigating a robbery near the Boyz II Men Barber Shop.
They say the suspect, 49-year-old Edward Fuller III, took money and other items from a person leaving the shop after striking them with a weapon. Police investigating the scene thought Fuller had left the area, but he was actually in a vehicle nearby.
The release says Ansari walked near the car Fuller was in, and that's when Fuller got out and opened fire at officers on scene. Fuller was able to hit Ansari and Officer Douglas Thomas, before fleeing the scene on foot.
Responding officers followed Fuller. According to the GBI, during the search Fuller hid in a shed, but came out and pointed his gun at officers. That's when one officer shot and hit Fuller. The gun recovered from the scene was determined to be stolen.
Fuller, Ansari, and Thomas were all taken to Memorial Health, where Ansari and Fuller later died. Thomas was treated and released for his injuries.
Ansari was a 10-year veteran of the Savannah Police Department. He had just been recognized for his years of service with the department earlier this month, and was promoted to the rank of sergeant last August.
Chief of Police Roy Minter addressed the public about the shooting in a press conference Sunday night, which was also streamed to the department's Facebook page.
The GBI says they'll continue their investigation, and once it's done, it'll be reviewed by the Chatham County District Attorney's Office.
Original Story: 12:30 p.m.
A Savannah Police Department officer has died after an officer-involved shooting incident on Bull Street.
Two SPD officers and a suspect were injured Saturday evening near the 2300 block of Bull Street in Savannah.
One of the officers has died due to his injuries. The second officer has been treated and released.
The suspect was also taken to a local hospital. There is no official word on the suspect’s condition at this time.
According to a news release from SPD, officers responded to the area around 8:10 p.m. to follow up on a previous robbery call. The officers located the suspect’s vehicle and tried to approach the car before shots were fired.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been requested to assist in the investigation. GBI agents were at the scene on Saturday night.
Some SCAD students told WTOC they heard some shots and waited a few minutes before they looked out their window. When they opened the window more shots rang out and they ducked behind the wall.
WTOC spoke to another man who says he was in the area when the incident occurred.
“I was going home. I was over at that party there and then I heard about six shots go off. It wasn’t seconds. And I saw two cop cars racing down. They went down to 37th street, went up to 38th street. They were looking. They didn’t know exactly where this was at," Stephen Facea said.
A public information officer with the Savannah Police Department says that more information could be released on Sunday.
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