Deputy — a father of 3 — is hit and killed by officer during high-speed chase, cops say

A Georgia deputy was killed during a high-speed chase across state lines when another officer struck him with a police car, authorities said.

Eric Minix, 31, died in the early hours of Jan. 4 from the crash in Alabama, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The Georgia sheriff’s office described Minix as “a dedicated Deputy and K9 Officer, but more importantly, he was a friend to everyone who knew him.”

Minix was involved in the pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicle that led from west Georgia into Lanett, Alabama, on Interstate 85, authorities said.

After a PIT maneuver brought the vehicle to a stop, Minix was getting out of his patrol car to take the suspect into custody when an officer with the Lanett Police Department fatally struck him, according to the Alabama Department of Law Enforcement.

The Lanett officer also hit the Dodge Challenger they were chasing, which authorities said was driven by a 25-year-old man from Florida.

The man was taken into custody, and the Alabama Department of Law Enforcement took over the investigation, police said.

Minix, who became a Coweta deputy in 2021, had a wife and three daughters, the Georgia department said.

“We have lost a good deputy. We have lost a good man. We have lost a good friend,” the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Lanett officer was placed on administrative leave pending investigation, police said.

“My prayers are with the loved ones of Deputy Sheriff Eric Minix of Coweta County, who was tragically killed in the line of duty today,” Georgia congressman Drew Ferguson said in a statement. “Please keep Eric’s family and the Coweta County community in your prayers as they mourn the tragic loss of such a dedicated public servant.”

Coweta County is part of the Atlanta metro area.

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