A Georgia mail carrier was shot to death Saturday while driving his route in rural Banks County.

Investigators identified a suspect and later spotted the suspect’s vehicle, but he fled from an attempted traffic stop and later fired at deputies after he drove his Chevy Blazer off the road, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

Deputies returned fire and seriously wounded Larry Steven Grogan, 49, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The incident began at about 9:30 a.m. when Asa “Junior” Wood, 59, was shot while delivering mail on Hebron Road in the southern part of the county. The Banks County Sheriff’s Office identified Grogan as a “person of interest,” the Banner-Herald reported.

Deputies spotted Grogan’s Blazer at about 6:30 p.m. several miles away east of Homer and attempted a traffic stop. A deputy conducted a PIT maneuver during the chase, and Grogan drove the vehicle off the road. The GBI said he got out of the Blazer with a rifle and fired at the deputies, who returned fire, striking Grogan once. The deputies were not hit.

Grogan is expected to survive his wound.

The GBI is investigating the shooting of Grogan, and the US Postal Inspector’s Office is assisting the sheriff’s office with the investigation into Wood’s slaying.

Several charges against Grogan are pending, the GBI said.

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