Authorities are searching for a man they say fired at a detention officer Friday afternoon in a Henry County neighborhood in a shooting that also killed another man.
The Henry sheriff’s office confirmed about 1:30 p.m. that an incident occurred at Haddon Place apartments along Hopewell Place. The suspected shooter was identified by the sheriff’s office as 32-year-old Brentson Bernard Thomas. A warrant has been obtained for his arrest and he is facing charges of murder and two counts of aggravated assault. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Thomas’ arrest and indictment.
Authorities said a detention officer was shot multiple times in the chest and taken to a hospital. As of Saturday morning, he remained in critical condition but was stable.
Another man at the scene was also shot and killed, the sheriff’s office confirmed, but authorities have not said if that shooting happened before or after the detention officer was shot. Several law enforcement and SWAT vehicles crowded parts of the complex for multiple hours, and crime scene tape was strung up around a wooded area.
Officials said Thomas remains on the run. He was originally said to be driving a gray Toyota Camry with Georgia tag CKD8148, but his vehicle has since been found.
“We are no longer looking for the car but still, of course, aggressively looking for him,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Syntonnia Moore said.
According to a lookout alert, he should be considered “armed and dangerous” and is also wanted in separate incidents in Miami, Florida, and Clayton County.
“Mr. Thomas, I recommend that you turn yourself in because we will not eat, sleep or get any rest until we take you into custody. Turn yourself in,” Sheriff Reginald Scandrett told reporters at the scene.
Credit: Henry County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Henry County Sheriff's Office
No details were released about what led to the incident or what the detention officer was doing at the location.
Friday’s shooting came two months after two Cobb County deputies were shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant. Jonathan Randall Koleski and Marshall Samual Ervin Jr. were shot Sept. 8. Christopher Patrick Golden, 30, was arrested at the scene and faces murder charges.
A year ago, Henry police Officer Paramhans Desai died while responding to a domestic incident near McDonough. He remained in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital until Nov. 8, four days after the shooting, when he died with his family by his side, police said. He was 38 and married with two children.
The man accused of killing Desai, Jordan Jackson, was on the run for several days until being found inside a Clayton County apartment, according to police. Seconds before Jackson was captured, the 22-year-old shot and killed himself, police said.
Anyone with information on Thomas’ whereabouts is asked to contact Henry police Detective Barefoot at 770-288-8278 or bbarefoot@co.henry.ga.us.
