A suspect was apparently killed by a bullet fired by authorities Monday afternoon shortly after 4 p.m. The man was later identified as William Gordon by Special Agent Micah Ward of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations who has taken over the case.
Ward confirmed the man was killed in the incident. He also confirmed Gordon had two outstanding warrants for burglary and arson in Liberty County.
Gordon, 41, lived in Texas, according to Ward, but was in the Liberty County area where he has relatives.
According to Liberty County Sheriff Department’s Chief Deputy Keith Moran, the incident involved officers from the Georgia State Patrol, Midway Police Department and the sheriff’s office, although he and Ward would not comment on which agency fired the fatal shot.
“At this point, we can’t really say,” Ward said. “We are still in the midst of doing crime scene investigations.
The autopsy was done this morning (Tuesday) and we still have to look at the results.”
Ward would not comment on how many shots were fired.
Moran said dispatch put out a be-on-the-lookout call on a person allegedly involved in a burglary and arson case Monday afternoon.
The chief said a law enforcement officer spotted the vehicle and a man fitting Gordon’s description in Midway on Highway 84.
Ward said Gordon was in a Volkswagen but was unsure of the model.
The area, taped off as a crime scene, was inside property owned by Stanley Pope.
“They made a stop on the car,” Moran said. “I understand the suspect was armed and that shots were fired. Fire was returned and the suspect was hit.”
Moran said all of the officers were unhurt and a patrol vehicle was damaged.
“We want to put this together and get a report to the district attorney as soon as we can,” Ward said about finalizing the case.