HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Hall County deputy was terminated Thursday after a deadly crash, the sheriff's office said.
The crash happened in Gainesville around 10:30 a.m., according to a release. The sheriff's office said Aaron Buchanan was not on duty, however, he was in a marked patrol vehicle while traveling on Dawsonville Highway at Nix Drive when he became involved in the incident. The sheriff's office did not offer details on how the crash happened.
Georgia State Patrol said troopers were called to a two-vehicle crash in the area where they found an HCSO marked patrol vehicle. Investigators said it seems Buchanan was speeding south down GA 53 while 84-year-old Jon William Jones was traveling east on Nix Drive and stopped at a stop sign. Jones continued on his path and crashed with the deputy's vehicle, according to GSP.
Records show the front of the Buchanan's patrol vehicle crashed into the driver's side of Jones' car killing him and hurting his 81-year-old passenger. The woman is being treated for her injuries, GSP said.
"I extend my sincerest condolences to the family that has suffered the loss of a loved one and the injury of another," Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said in a release. "We are saddened and shocked by the tragic crash that occurred this morning. Our employees are held to a higher standard and they are entrusted to serve and protect those in the community."
Though the sheriff's office did not say how the crash happened, in a news release Couch said Buchanan failed to follow training procedures and state law.
"No one in law enforcement should ever cause the innocent to be harmed and this type of reckless behavior will not be tolerated by anyone," he said.
Buchanan worked with HCSO since September 2016. He worked as a patrol deputy with the agency since January 2021, according to the sheriff's office.
HCSO said the GSP is currently investigating the crash. Troopers say Buchanan is facing a number of charges including speeding, reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle and vehicular homicide.