GBI called in to investigate shooting during a traffic stop on Friday

-GBI News Release-

Contributed photo by Kelly Moore

At the request of the Rome Police Department (RPD), GBI Agents are investigating an officer involved shooting in Rome, GA. Jeron Bruce Bradford, age 61, of Rome, GA, was shot and killed in the incident. No officers were injured.

Preliminary information indicates that around 12:00 p.m. on September 11, 2026, a RPD Officer conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck in the 200 block of South Broad Street Southwest in Rome, GA. The driver, later identified as Bradford, immediately exited the truck and confronted the officer. The officer gave verbal commands to Bradford, which Bradford refused to follow. Bradford then pulled a gun from his pants and shot at the officer. The officer shot toward Bradford, hitting him. Bradford was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

Bradford’s body will be taken to the GBI’s Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be conducted.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Calhoun at (706) 624-1424. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling the GBI Tipline at 800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile application.

The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once the investigation is complete, it will be given to the Floyd County District Attorney’s Office for review.