MacLeod
09-06-2002, 10:25
http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/wsbtv/news/copshoot0904.html
Carroll County Sheriff Terry Langley said Lt. Billy Jiles was shot to death in an exchange of gunfire as he chased the suspect after a fire that was reported at Jiles' 9:45 p.m. last night.
"When the sun came up this morning, I was hoping we'd all wake up and it would just be a bad, bad nightmare that didn't happen," said Langley, who went to police academy with Jiles. "But unfortunately what you always fear might happen has become a reality."
Jiles had been an officer for 20 years and leaves behind a wife and two children.
Sheriff Langley said police received a 911 call about 9 p.m. from a witness, who said the suspect, Terry Johnson, 31, of Villa Rica, had set fire to a home owned by Johnson.
The witness followed Johnson and reported the suspect's movements to police. Lt. Jiles joined the chase as it entered the city of Carrollton, Ga. Johnson got out of the car at one point and entered the home of 85-year-old Robert Smith, who Johnson shot to death "in cold blood," the sheriff said. He added that Smith had had no relations with the suspect.
When Lt. Jiles arrived on the scene, Johnson also wounded the officer fatally before he could get off a shot. "He (Johnson) had a 9 millimeter handgun in one hand and a 45-calibre handgun in another," said Sheriff Langley.
When other Carroll County deputies arrived, Johnson fired at them, hitting at least one squad car and sending glass flying and injuries some of the officers. But the deputies returned fire, killing Johnson, the sheriff said.
Sheriff Langley called the death of Lt. Jiles a "devastating loss." The two had gone to police academy together and were friends. The dead officer was married and had two children, ages 4 and 9.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting authorities in Carroll County in the investigation.
Carroll County Fire Chief Gary Thomas says the suspect is believed to have started the fire at his Villa Rica home because he was angry at his wife. Authorities say the couple had separated. Johnson has a prior record of aggravated assault.
We've seen deputy Billy Jiles in action before. He was with the GBI when he played a role in a major bust in West Georgia in 1995 and read the suspect his rights.
The last time a police officer was murdered in Carroll County, was back in 1999. Villa Rica Police Capt. Robbie Bishop died in a shooting. He was shot along I-20 during a routine traffic stop.
The gunman, Jeffrey McGee of New York, pleaded guilty to Bishop's murder.
They've been several other recent shootings of metro-area police officers.
Duluth police Officer Jill Manders was injured during a shootout in the Grove Park subdivision on Aug. 22. The suspect, 38-year-old Rhoman Khiamov, died of multiple gunshot wounds.
A day earlier, on Aug. 21st, DeKalb County Police Officer George Dudley was injured during a shooting outside a bank on Mountain Industrial Boulevard. The suspect, Lamar Scott Davis, then drove to a nearby Wal-Mmart and shot and killed himself during a shootout with police.
Norcross Police Cpl. Mark Gibbs continues to recover from a shooting in June that left him in a coma. He was seriously wounded while responding to a disturbance call at a motel. Police arrested Marty Logan for the attack on Clp. Gibbs.
Carroll County Sheriff Terry Langley said Lt. Billy Jiles was shot to death in an exchange of gunfire as he chased the suspect after a fire that was reported at Jiles' 9:45 p.m. last night.
"When the sun came up this morning, I was hoping we'd all wake up and it would just be a bad, bad nightmare that didn't happen," said Langley, who went to police academy with Jiles. "But unfortunately what you always fear might happen has become a reality."
Jiles had been an officer for 20 years and leaves behind a wife and two children.
Sheriff Langley said police received a 911 call about 9 p.m. from a witness, who said the suspect, Terry Johnson, 31, of Villa Rica, had set fire to a home owned by Johnson.
The witness followed Johnson and reported the suspect's movements to police. Lt. Jiles joined the chase as it entered the city of Carrollton, Ga. Johnson got out of the car at one point and entered the home of 85-year-old Robert Smith, who Johnson shot to death "in cold blood," the sheriff said. He added that Smith had had no relations with the suspect.
When Lt. Jiles arrived on the scene, Johnson also wounded the officer fatally before he could get off a shot. "He (Johnson) had a 9 millimeter handgun in one hand and a 45-calibre handgun in another," said Sheriff Langley.
When other Carroll County deputies arrived, Johnson fired at them, hitting at least one squad car and sending glass flying and injuries some of the officers. But the deputies returned fire, killing Johnson, the sheriff said.
Sheriff Langley called the death of Lt. Jiles a "devastating loss." The two had gone to police academy together and were friends. The dead officer was married and had two children, ages 4 and 9.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting authorities in Carroll County in the investigation.
Carroll County Fire Chief Gary Thomas says the suspect is believed to have started the fire at his Villa Rica home because he was angry at his wife. Authorities say the couple had separated. Johnson has a prior record of aggravated assault.
We've seen deputy Billy Jiles in action before. He was with the GBI when he played a role in a major bust in West Georgia in 1995 and read the suspect his rights.
The last time a police officer was murdered in Carroll County, was back in 1999. Villa Rica Police Capt. Robbie Bishop died in a shooting. He was shot along I-20 during a routine traffic stop.
The gunman, Jeffrey McGee of New York, pleaded guilty to Bishop's murder.
They've been several other recent shootings of metro-area police officers.
Duluth police Officer Jill Manders was injured during a shootout in the Grove Park subdivision on Aug. 22. The suspect, 38-year-old Rhoman Khiamov, died of multiple gunshot wounds.
A day earlier, on Aug. 21st, DeKalb County Police Officer George Dudley was injured during a shooting outside a bank on Mountain Industrial Boulevard. The suspect, Lamar Scott Davis, then drove to a nearby Wal-Mmart and shot and killed himself during a shootout with police.
Norcross Police Cpl. Mark Gibbs continues to recover from a shooting in June that left him in a coma. He was seriously wounded while responding to a disturbance call at a motel. Police arrested Marty Logan for the attack on Clp. Gibbs.