A Wrightsville police officer opened fire after a suspect slashed a firefighter with a Wakizashi blade just after midnight

By Rosana Hughes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WRIGHTSVILLE, Ga. — A Middle Georgia police officer shot and killed a sword-wielding man as he attacked a firefighter with a Japanese samurai blade outside a gas station Monday, officials said.

The Wrightsville police officer and the firefighter were chatting outside a SideTrack convenience store and fueling station. As the clock struck midnight, a man got out of his vehicle, walked over and started slicing the firefighter, according to the GBI. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the attack.

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Wrightsville is a small town about 140 miles southeast of Atlanta and 60 miles east of Macon.

The officer was in his patrol vehicle talking to the firefighter in front of the store on East College Street. The unusual saga began when the suspect, identified as Diamond Daspin Seltzer, 32, of Wrightsville, suddenly approached the men and started swinging a Wakizashi sword, according to the GBI, which is investigating the incident.

The firefighter, whose name has not been released, was severely cut multiple times on his arms, officials said.

“Fearing for the life of the firefighter and in defense of himself and the firefighter, the officer was left with no other option than to use deadly force to stop the threat,” Wrightsville police said in a statement.

The officer jumped out of his patrol car and fired off several shots, striking the man with the sword, officials said. Seltzer was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the GBI said. The firefighter was also rushed to a hospital and was stabilized.

The officer was not injured, officials said.

Once the GBI completes its investigation, the case file will be handed over to the Dublin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

The shooting by police was the 67th such incident the GBI has been asked to investigate this year. By the same time last year, there had been 73. Both years are significantly down from 2023 and 2022, which saw 84 and 97 officer-involved shootings, respectively, as of the same date.

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