HOMER, Ga. (AP) — A robbery suspect was shot and killed by Banks County sheriff's deputies and a woman he took hostage was wounded.

The incident began around 4:15 a.m. Monday morning when a Waffle House along U.S. Highway 441 in south Banks County was robbed.

Soon after, a deputy found a vehicle believed to belong to the suspect parked at a nearby hotel, Banks County Sheriff Charles Chapman said.

Authorities then went to the man's room. The armed suspect opened the door and was holding a woman, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Vicki Metz-Vickery said. The man then led the woman to the motel's parking lot.

``At that time, shots were exchanged,'' Metz-Vickery said. ``The armed man was fatally wounded.''

The man's name was not immediately released.

The woman was also shot and was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center, where she was listed in stable condition. Authorities believe the woman came with the suspect from South Carolina and that the two spent the weekend together in Banks County, Chapman said.

Investigators are also looking into whether the Monday morning robbery is connected to a robbery at a Subway restaurant on Saturday night