GBI Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Smyrna That Left Stolen U-Haul Driver Dead

At the request of the Smyrna Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is looking into an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Smyrna, Georgia, on October 24, 2025.

Around 6:00 a.m., a Smyrna police officer observed a stolen U-Haul truck traveling in the area and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The vehicle eventually came to a stop on McLinden Avenue near Concord Road SE. Officers conducted a felony stop, issuing multiple commands to the driver. During the encounter, a gunshot was fired from inside the U-Haul, prompting officers to return fire.

When officers approached the truck, they found the driver, later identified as 46-year-old Darrick Desawn Rooks of Marietta, Georgia, deceased from a gunshot wound. No officers were injured during the incident.

Rooks’ body will be transported to the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Once the GBI completes its investigation, the case file will be turned over to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review.

The GBI emphasized that this is an active investigation, and no further details are available at this time.