AUGUSTA, Ga. - Three narcotics investigators are on paid administrative leave after shooting Michael Nestor Tuesday night on Ohio Avenue in Augusta.

They say the suspect almost ran over one of them.

Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength is standing by his officers.

“They are definitely trained like everybody. You can protect yourself and that’s what they were doing," Strength said.

Strength tells NBC Augusta 26 News three narcotics investigators came to Nestor's home Tuesday night to arrest him on several drug charges.

Strength says they received a tip that he was home.

"He had rented a moving truck and he was loading up and going back to Atlanta," Strength said.

Strength says investigators didn’t want to alert Nestor that they were coming to arrest him. So, they parked down the street from his home and walked. He was sitting in his car.

"They were ID as law enforcement officer, but when they approached, they told him exactly who they were."

That didn’t stop Nestor. Strength says Nestor put his car in reverse, and almost ran over one of the investigators.

That's when all three officers fired their guns, hitting Nestor in the the arm and neck.

"The shootings were justifiable and we don’t wake up in the morning and say let’s go on a shootout. These guys aren’t thinking about that.
They want to go home today also. But the nature of their job sometimes causes this," Strength said.

Nestor’s run-in with Richmond County didn’t start Tuesday night. Narcotics investigators say they arrested him last month for selling drugs inside his home.

Nestor agreed to cooperate on other drug cases, so investigators let him go.

But days later, investigators tell 26 News, Nestor didn’t follow through. So, they came to arrest him.

The Narcotics investigators involved are Jason Saal, Philip Hambrick and Michael Swint.

Saal was standing behind the car as Nestor was backing up. The other two were on the driver's side of the car.

All three have been with the Richmond County Sheriff's Office from three to six years.

Nestor was convicted for possession of methamphetamine in 2004. The sheriff says he had an extensive history of drug charges, mainly in the Atlanta area.

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