CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Some 3,000 people checked into shelters across Florida, a judge in coastal Georgia suspended a murder trial and deputies in South Carolina shot and wounded a motorist during a dispute over an evacuation route as Hurricane Matthew inched closer to the Atlantic coast.

On Wednesday night, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal urged more than 522,000 residents of six coastal counties to voluntarily evacuate with the threat of Hurricane Matthew approaching the region. An evacuation hasn’t been seen in coastal Georgia in 17 years.

The storm is forecast to near the Florida, potentially as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds. Forecasters say it will come close enough to wreak havoc along the coast, dumping up to 15 inches in rain in some spots.