Deputy Shooting: One Suspect Killed, Two More Arrested

COMMERCE, GA — One suspect has been shot and killed, and two more arrested, after last week's shooting of a north Georgia sheriff's deputy.

On Friday, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents shot Avery Richard, 32, during an arrest attempt on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Atlanta.

At about 4 p.m., agents had tracked Richard to the Holmes Plaza parking lot. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Richard was sitting inside a vehicle when he began shooting at FBI agents.

One agent, a 30-year veteran, was shot in the arm and a female passenger who was in the vehicle with Richard also suffered from gunshot wounds.

Both the agent and the woman were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for medical treatment.

Over the weekend, two more arrests were made in the shooting of Banks County Deputy Robert Wilkins.

Dustin Terrell Heuatt, 29, was charged with numerous felonies, including aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated assault and armed robbery. James Hall Askew, 26, was charged with aiding and abetting.

At about 4:12 p.m last Wednesday, deputies in Banks County — in northeast Georgia along I-85 and I-985 — responded to a report of an armed robbery in progress at the Atlanta Dragway race track.

According to the Banks County Sheriff's Office, while deputies were en route, the robber — who has since been identified as Richard — attempted to kidnap a victim, but ended up fleeing the scene after stealing the victim's car.

Deputies located the vehicle in the area of the Tanger Outlet shopping center, where a traffic stop was attempted. Richard tried to drive away and, a short time later, got out of the vehicle and fired at a deputy.

The deputy, who the sheriff's office has not identified, was shot while still in a patrol car. As Richard ran away, he continued to shoot toward the deputy's patrol car, authorities said.

Authorities say the bullet was blocked by a ballistic vest the deputy was wearing. The deputy was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a kidnapping happened hours after the deputy's shooting. A Commerce woman arrived at her home to find a man matching Richard's description inside.

Her home is about two miles away from where the deputy was shot.

The intruder forced the woman at gunpoint to drive him to the metro Atlanta area before she was released, the GBI said. She sustained minor injuries in the incident.

Since then, a multitude of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies had taken part in the search for Richard and the other suspects.

Photos courtesy Banks County Sheriff's Office