The former South Georgia police chief who was found dead at a firing range Thursday died from a single gunshot wound, according to a medical examiner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
»PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Disgraced South Georgia police chief shot to death at gun range
Keith Sandefur, once the top lawman with the Cairo Police Department, was identified as the victim at the gun range on Wight Road in Cairo, according to authorities.
An autopsy was performed Friday, but some details about the shooting remain in question.
Sandefur was at the firing range with a city police investigator at the time of the shooting, according to Grady County Sheriff Harry Young, who was friends with Sandefur.
WCTV, the CBS News affiliate in Cairo, reported Friday the shooting was accidental and self-inflicted, although GBI has not confirmed that particular version of events.
Based on a statement by Young, the station reported Sandefur's pistol jammed and he accidentally shot himself in the chest while clearing the firearm.
The GBI, however, which continued to investigate the official cause of Sandefur's death over the weekend, did not reveal the location of Sandefur's wound.
Young said last week he was in disbelief about the shooting.
"I was just shocked that it was Keith," he said. "He's my dear friend. I'm very upset about it."
Young has provided the media with several updates in the days after the shooting.
After being dispatched to the range about 1:30 p.m. Thursday, emergency crews administered CPR to Sandefur but were unable to save him, according to reports.
Sandefur was charged Dec. 3 with two counts of theft after he allegedly purchased handguns for his associates and charged the cost to the city of Cairo, according to arrest records. He turned himself in to the Grady County Sheriff's Office the same day.
He had been facing two counts of felony theft by conversion. The transactions have since been reversed and the property returned, officials said.
Agents discovered the dubious transactions in September after Cairo District Attorney Joe Mulholland asked the GBI to look into possible criminal activity by Sandefur.
Sandefur had been employed with the city police department since 1980, records show. He was promoted to police chief in 1995.
Cairo police investigator Giovanni Santos was named the city’s interim police chief the day after Sandefur's arrest. Sandefur had already submitted his resignation and planned to officially retire Dec. 31.
The Cairo Police Department is not playing a role in the investigation, Santos said in a statement to Cairo media outlets.
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