CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — A suspect is dead, and a Carroll County deputy was hurt in a shooting as authorities tried to conduct a search warrant Tuesday morning.
Investigator Taylor Bristow was rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting.
Here's a look at what we know about the developing situation.
Where the gunfire happened
The shooting unfolded off Don Rich Road around 8:30 a.m.
According to the GBI, authorities responded to the area to execute a child exploitation search warrant. The warrant was a part of an ongoing GBI investigation.
The GBI later said on Wednesday that when deputies knocked on the door, 40-year-old Christopher Bly opened it up and immediately backed up into the home as deputies followed him in. The GBI said that Bly pulled out a pistol and shot himself and another deputy. Bly died by suicide in the process, the GBI said. It's unclear how many shots the suspect fired.
The sheriff's office said Bristow was shot in the head.
Agents found multiple electronic devices that contained child sexual abuse content that were seized by agents during the search, according to the GBI.
What we know about the deputy
Bristow was taken to Grady Hospital in critical condition. In an update from the sheriff's office Tuesday afternoon, deputies said Bristow was out of surgery. The hospital performed a CT scan, and he was moved into the intensive care unit.
Bristow is a six-year veteran of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. He first worked as a deputy and is now an investigator for the sheriff's office. Before that, he worked as a jailer for the Ware County Sheriff's Office. He also spent some time as an officer with Waycross Police.
The sheriff's office has had an outpour of support.
"Anytime you have a scene like this, it's very fluid. It's very active. Obviously, it's going to be an ongoing investigation for quite some time. We're very fortunate here that our community loves our law enforcement, so of course, they want to come out and try to help. We greatly appreciate that," said Ashley Hulsey of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.
"We've also had a lot of assistance and offers from other agencies, really, throughout the state on what they could do to provide either assistance or any other type of help to the deputies and their families," she added.
Details on the suspect
The sheriff's office reported that the suspect, identified on Aug. 21 as 40-year-old Christopher Bly of Carrollton, was dead.
The GBI shared that the shooting happened during the execution of a child exploitation search warrant by Carroll County deputies. Bly opened the door up and immediately backed up into the home as deputies followed him in. The GBI said that Bly pulled out a pistol and shot himself and another deputy. Bly died by suicide in the process, the GBI said.
Agents found multiple electronic devices that contained child sexual abuse content that were seized by agents during the search, according to the GBI.
Neighbors shocked by shooting
Madison Raney, who lives in the area, saw the heavy police presence Tuesday.
"I was just sitting on my couch looking out the window, and saw police officers come by real fast," she said.
Jim Barron also lives not far from where the shooting unfolded.
"All I heard was the police car leaving the scene where this was all taking place," he said.
He told 11Alive he was shocked to find out what happened.
"...I have some wonderful neighbors down this road, and they're good people, but that was a shocker what I heard," he said.