GBI Investigates Officer Involved Shooting in Catoosa County

Rossville, GA (October 19, 2020) – On Monday, October 19, 2020, at approximately 4:45 a.m., the GBI was requested by the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office to investigate an officer involved shooting.

Preliminary information indicates that at on the previous day, Sunday, October 18, 2020, Christopher John Kitts, 42, a fugitive from Dallas, TX, shot and wounded an East Ridge, TN police officer. East Ridge, TN is in Hamilton County, TN, which borders Catoosa County, GA. Catoosa County authorities received a BOLO alert for Kitts at approximately 2:00 p.m. and Kitts’ abandoned vehicle was located in Rossville, GA, at approximately 3:00 p.m.

Tennessee and Georgia law enforcement officers began searching for Kitts, and he was located in a wooded area near Old Lakeview Drive and Black Branch Creek in Rossville. Kitts began shooting and numerous officers from different agencies returned fire; however, no one was struck at this time. Police lost contact with Kitts in the woods and continued to track him throughout the night into Monday morning.

At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Monday, Georgia State Patrol SWAT located Kitts in a wooded area behind a residence on Glade Road in Rossville. Kitts refused to follow commands to surrender and pointed a gun at the officers. GSP SWAT fired, striking Kitts. Kitts was pronounced deceased at the scene. Kitts will be transported to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy.

No officers were injured during the incident.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once the investigation is completed, the case file will be turned over to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office for review.