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Suspect shoots and kills deputy, then speeds off in stolen patrol car, Georgia cops say

Deputy Tyee Browne was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Crisp County, Georgia, according to the county sheriff’s office.
Deputy Tyee Browne was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Crisp County, Georgia, according to the county sheriff’s office. Photo by the Crisp County Sheriff's Office

UPDATE: The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office identified the deputy shot and killed in the line of duty as Tyee Browne, 26.

“Hero is the title we bestow upon him today,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “At 26 years old, this young man faced evil while protecting our community.”

The original story continues below.

A deputy “met evil” and was fatally shot during a traffic stop in south Georgia early Wednesday, according to the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office.

It happened at about 3:40 a.m. on July 5 as the deputy was investigating a suspicious vehicle in Cordele, Sheriff Billy Hancock said at a news conference.

The suspect, who wasn’t named, was accused in multiple burglaries and believed to have guns in the car — which was flagged as stolen, according to the sheriff’s office.

As the deputy got out to investigate, the suspect shot him, Hancock said. He then sped away in the deputy’s patrol car, leading authorities on a multi-county chase.

The deputy was taken to a hospital where he died, according to Hancock.

The suspect was arrested more than 80 miles away in Monroe County, the sheriff’s office said. The stolen patrol car was also found.

Deputies didn’t release additional details and the case has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Cordele is about 140 miles southeast of Atlanta.

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This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 10:45 AM with the headline "Suspect shoots and kills deputy, then speeds off in stolen patrol car, Georgia cops say."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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