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Suspect who shot 2 Ga. deputies is caught after 5-day manhunt

The deputies had been trying to serve a warrant when the suspect grabbed one of their guns, police said

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Dreamstime/TNS

By Rosana Hughes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — The manhunt for a man suspected of shooting two Thomas County sheriff’s deputies came to an end Sunday afternoon, according to the GBI.

Tyler Keith Henderson, 25, of Ochlocknee, was taken into custody by authorities in the southwest Georgia county, the GBI said. Despite the intensive search that included helicopters, Henderson eluded capture for five days.

“He will now be a resident of the Thomas County Jail and will be held accountable for trying to take the life of three of our Deputies,” the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.

Henderson is accused of firing on three deputies Tuesday morning, the sheriff’s office said at the time. Two of the deputies were struck by the gunfire. One of them was protected by a ballistic vest while the other was hit under the vest and sustained a gunshot wound. Both deputies were in stable condition following the shooting.

“Our efforts will now shift to getting our Deputies back to 100%,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a post.

The incident took place in Ochlocknee, a small town of 672 people located 12 miles away from Thomasville. Deputies had been trying to serve Henderson with a warrant when Henderson got control of one of the deputies’ guns and fired at them before escaping.

Authorities issued a Blue Alert — an emergency designation that is activated for “violent criminals who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers” — according to the GBI.

https://www.facebook.com/Georgia.Bureau.of.Investigation/posts/294697519354015

©2022 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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