Rome Man Dies After Shooting at Officer During Traffic Stop

FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. – A 61-year-old Rome man was shot and killed by a Rome Police Department officer Friday after authorities say he pulled a gun and fired at the officer during a traffic stop.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting at the request of the Rome Police Department.

According to preliminary information released by the GBI, the incident occurred around noon Sept. 11 in the 200 block of South Broad Street Southwest in Rome.

A Rome police officer had stopped a pickup truck when the driver, identified as Jeron Bruce Bradford, 61, of Rome, immediately exited the vehicle and confronted the officer, the GBI said.

The officer gave Bradford verbal commands, which he did not follow, according to investigators.

Bradford then pulled a handgun from his pants and fired at the officer, the GBI said. The officer returned fire, striking Bradford.

Bradford was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. No officers were injured in the incident.

Bradford’s body will be transported to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Calhoun at 706-624-1424.

Anonymous tips can be submitted through the GBI Tipline at 800-597-TIPS (8477), through the GBI’s online tip submission system, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile application.

Once the GBI completes its investigation, the case will be turned over to the Floyd County District Attorney’s Office for review.