Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday “no effort will be spared” to track down two escaped inmates who police say overpowered two Georgia correctional officers, shot and killed them and then sped away in a stolen vehicle.
“Our heartbreak is matched only in our resolve to bring their murderers to justice,” Deal said. “No effort will be spared in pursuit of the killers, and no state resources required in this endeavor will be spared.”
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said the fatal shootings happened before 6 a.m. on Ga. 16 in the middle Georgia county. He said two inmates, identified as Ricky Dubose and Donnie Russell Rowe, overtook guards driving a transport bus, disarmed them and then killed them.
The governor warned residents near Putnam County to be "vigilant and cautious" while the suspects remain at large: "They are extremely dangerous. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts should immediately contact 911."
Several local, state and federal agencies have joined the manhunt to bring the suspects to justice, Deal said, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. And he said the “selflessness and courage” of the two victims – Sgt. Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue- would not be forgotten.
“Two families lost everything in a heinous and senseless act of violence perpetrated at the hands of cowards,” said Deal, adding: “The selflessness and courage of these two brave souls will not be forgotten, nor will their sacrifice and service.”
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