Georgia officer kills a man who attacked a firefighter with a machete, police say

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WRIGHTSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A police officer who was talking to a firefighter outside a Georgia convenience store shot and killed a man who drove up to the store and began attacking the firefighter with a machete, authorities said Monday.

After arriving at the store in a vehicle, the man walked over to where the police officer and firefighter were talking and suddenly began swinging the weapon, authorities said.

“Fearing for the life of the firefighter and in defense of himself and the firefighter, the officer was left with no other option than to use deadly force to stop the threat,” Wrightsville police said in a statement.

The attack and shooting happened in the small town of Wrightsville at around midnight, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The firefighter sustained severe injuries to his arms, but is expected to survive, Wrightsville police said. The 32-year-old man shot by the Wrightsville police officer was taken to a hospital, where he died. The officer was not injured, police said.

Wrightsville, a town of about 3,500 residents, is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northwest of Savannah, Georgia.