EASTMAN, Ga. – Authorities have identified a suspect in the shooting death of an officer Saturday night in a small, central Georgia city.
Georgia Bureau of Investigations spokesman Scott Dutton said Sunday that authorities are searching for 24-year-old Royheem Delshawn Deeds in the death of Eastman Patrol Officer Tim Smith.
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The 31-year-old Smith was shot to death Saturday night in a residential area of the city located about 60 miles southeast of Macon. Smith had been with the Eastman Police Department since 2011. He was survived by three children.
The GBI said Smith was fatally shot about 9:30 p.m. in a residential area about three blocks south of City Hall and the police department. Whitley said Smith was responding to a suspicious person call when he encountered the gunman, exited his patrol car and was shot.
Authorities are searching for Deeds and said he will face murder charges. The GBI, Eastman Police and the Dodge County Sheriff's Office asked for the public to report any information about Deeds.
Authorities warned that people should not approach Deeds, but should call authorities instead, as he is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI office at 478-374-6988 or 911.
Eastman, the county seat of Dodge County, is home to about 5,500 residents. It is about 60 miles southeast of Macon.