Driver of stolen U-Haul shot and killed during traffic stop by Smyrna police officer, officials say
A traffic stop involving a stolen U-Haul ended with a driver dead in Smyrna on Friday morning, police say.
Officials say the shooting happened just before 6 a.m. around Concord Road and McLinden Avenue SE.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, while the officers were giving commands to the driver, a gunshot was fired from the U-Haul.
The officers returned fire, officials said. When they approached the cab of the truck, they found the driver, identified as 46-year-old Darrick Desawn Rooks of Marietta, dead from a gunshot wound.
CBS News Atlanta cameras saw crime scene tape surrounding the U-Haul while police worked at the scene.
Investigators have not released the driver's identity.
A representative from U-Haul confirmed with CBS News Atlanta that a woman rented the truck on Oct. 8 and did not return it. The company was not sure the relation between the renter of the truck and Rooks.
The GBI has been called to do an investigation into the deadly incident, and Rooks' body will be taken to the Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.
This the 65th officer-involved shooting in 2025, the last being five days before in Toombs, Georgia.
