SMYRNA, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has identified the man who was killed early Friday during a police encounter involving a stolen U-Haul truck in Smyrna. Authorities confirmed the deceased as 46-year-old Darrick Desawn Rooks of Marietta.
According to the Smyrna Police Department, the incident began around 6:00 a.m. when an officer spotted a stolen U-Haul truck near McLinden Avenue and Concord Road SE. Officers initiated a felony traffic stop and issued multiple commands to the driver. Moments later, a gunshot was fired from inside the vehicle. Officers returned fire, and when they approached the truck, they found Rooks deceased from a gunshot wound.
No officers were injured in the exchange. The GBI has launched an independent investigation to determine the sequence of events, including who fired the first shot and whether a weapon was recovered from the vehicle.
Investigators learned that the U-Haul had been reported stolen one day prior. A contractor with U-Haul told FOX 5 Atlanta the vehicle was rented by a woman earlier in the month and was due to be returned on October 8, but it was never brought back. It remains unclear how Rooks came into possession of the truck.
Rooks’ fiancée, Chantriece Marrow, told reporters that the couple had been living in the truck and were experiencing homelessness. She said Rooks had left to donate plasma when the incident occurred. Marrow maintains that she does not believe he would have fired at officers.
“I got a voicemail. I heard everything before he took his last breath. He kept saying, ‘Help me. Somebody help me,’” Marrow said through tears.
Smyrna police acknowledged the inherent risks officers face during pre-dawn traffic stops.
“Traffic stops can be very uncertain, especially before daylight,” said Lt. Meredith Holt. “You never know what you’re going to find when you walk up to a vehicle.”
Rooks’ body will undergo an autopsy at the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office. Once the GBI concludes its investigation, findings will be turned over to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review.
The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the fatal encounter.