SMYRNA, GA – A traffic stop involving the driver of a stolen U-Haul truck from earlier in October that turned deadly has had a significant update in the investigation, with officials saying forensic evidence points to the driver having died from a self-inflicted gunshot rather than from police gunfire during the incident.
According to authorities, Smyrna Police encountered a U-Haul truck that was reported stolen at approximately 6 a.m. on October 24, with the vehicle’s driver, later identified as 46-year-old Darrick Desawn Rooks, pulling over in the area of McLinden Avenue near Concord Road SE.
During the traffic stop, officers issued several commands for the driver to exit the vehicle, with officers opening fire after reportedly hearing a single gunshot coming from inside the vehicle’s cabin. No officers were injured during the incident, but Rooks was pronounced dead at the scene.
While speculation loomed during the onset of the investigation into whether police gunfire delivered the fatal shot, the Smyrna Police Department revealed on the evening of October 24th that a forensic examination conducted by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office found Rooks’ fatal gunshot wound to have been self-inflicted.
A U-Haul contractor, William Platt, confirmed the truck had been rented out to a woman named Chantriece Marrow, Rooks’ fiancée, but said the contractor noted the truck was supposed to be returned on October 8th. A stolen vehicle report was initiated by U-Haul on October 23rd, thus leading to the police interaction the following day.
Platt, who specializes in recovering stolen and overdue vehicles for U-Haul, said the truck was only supposed to have been driven by Marrow, as Rooks was listed nowhere on the original rental agreement.
Marrow claims that she and her fiancé were using the U-Haul as a place to stay temporarily, telling a local news outlet, “We were sleeping in there. We were homeless. We were sleeping right over here. We were homeless.” The woman also claimed she doesn’t believe Rooks would’ve opened fire on police, which, given the update in the investigation, is a claim now partially supported by the forensic findings.
Rooks, according to his fiancée, was reportedly on his way to donate plasma to earn some money when the fatal traffic stop occurred, further claiming Rooks left a voicemail before he passed, saying, “I heard everything before he took his last breath. He kept saying, Help me. Somebody help me.” Marrow also alleged Rooks said, “They did it. They did it,” during this same voicemail.
Smyrna Police Lieutenant Meredith Holt emphasized the dangerous elements associated with early morning traffic stops in a statement regarding the investigation, saying, “Traffic stops, you know, can be very uncertain…uncertain because you never know what you're going to find on a traffic stop. Especially when it's still dark outside and it's early in the morning.”
The fatal traffic stop is still being investigated, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation taking the lead on the case.
According to authorities, Smyrna Police encountered a U-Haul truck that was reported stolen at approximately 6 a.m. on October 24, with the vehicle’s driver, later identified as 46-year-old Darrick Desawn Rooks, pulling over in the area of McLinden Avenue near Concord Road SE.
During the traffic stop, officers issued several commands for the driver to exit the vehicle, with officers opening fire after reportedly hearing a single gunshot coming from inside the vehicle’s cabin. No officers were injured during the incident, but Rooks was pronounced dead at the scene.
While speculation loomed during the onset of the investigation into whether police gunfire delivered the fatal shot, the Smyrna Police Department revealed on the evening of October 24th that a forensic examination conducted by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office found Rooks’ fatal gunshot wound to have been self-inflicted.
A U-Haul contractor, William Platt, confirmed the truck had been rented out to a woman named Chantriece Marrow, Rooks’ fiancée, but said the contractor noted the truck was supposed to be returned on October 8th. A stolen vehicle report was initiated by U-Haul on October 23rd, thus leading to the police interaction the following day.
Platt, who specializes in recovering stolen and overdue vehicles for U-Haul, said the truck was only supposed to have been driven by Marrow, as Rooks was listed nowhere on the original rental agreement.
Marrow claims that she and her fiancé were using the U-Haul as a place to stay temporarily, telling a local news outlet, “We were sleeping in there. We were homeless. We were sleeping right over here. We were homeless.” The woman also claimed she doesn’t believe Rooks would’ve opened fire on police, which, given the update in the investigation, is a claim now partially supported by the forensic findings.
Rooks, according to his fiancée, was reportedly on his way to donate plasma to earn some money when the fatal traffic stop occurred, further claiming Rooks left a voicemail before he passed, saying, “I heard everything before he took his last breath. He kept saying, Help me. Somebody help me.” Marrow also alleged Rooks said, “They did it. They did it,” during this same voicemail.
Smyrna Police Lieutenant Meredith Holt emphasized the dangerous elements associated with early morning traffic stops in a statement regarding the investigation, saying, “Traffic stops, you know, can be very uncertain…uncertain because you never know what you're going to find on a traffic stop. Especially when it's still dark outside and it's early in the morning.”
The fatal traffic stop is still being investigated, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation taking the lead on the case.
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