Georgia authorities are investigating the shooting that left two people dead

REMERTON, Ga. (AP) — Two men are dead and an officer was injured after a weekend shootout in Georgia’s Lowndes County.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that it is investigating the shooting in Remerton, a popular spot Valdosta State University students to live.

Preliminary information indicates that the shooting occurred on Friday, November 1, around 1:30 a.m., after two people got into an argument outside a bar. Four sheriff’s deputies were working off-duty outside several area bars when the shots occurred.

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Immediately after that incident, someone fired more shots, prompting two more deputies to respond, the GBI said. One deputy was shot in the second round of gunfire and taken to an area hospital. He was expected to survive, the GBI said. Two other men were killed in the shooting, the agency said.

Police found weapons at both locations, but it remained unclear how many shots were fired, who fired the fatal shots and whether there are any suspects.

Safety in the area is a major concern for residents; this is the second fatal shooting at the same location in a year. WALB-TV reports this.

“I mean, I don’t even want to go to the bars because I never know what’s going to happen,” one Remerton resident told the television station.

In 2023, 21-year-old Valdosta State University student Brianna Long was killed around Halloween by a stray bullet while cleaning up at a bar in the same area where the officer-involved shooting occurred. Since her death, Remerton police have increased surveillance with cameras and officers.