The man suspected of fatally shooting a Georgia police officer has been arrested, authorities say.
A manhunt had been underway for Royheem Delshawn Deeds, 24, after the shooting of Eastman police officer Tim Smith on Saturday.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Deeds was arrested in Nassau County, Fla.
In a Facebook post, the Telfair County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Office also said Deeds was in custody. The website of the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said Deeds was booked into jail just before 3 a.m. Monday. Nassau County is north of Jacksonville, Fla.
Deeds was arrested on an out-of-state warrant for murder in Hilliard, Fla. Taken into custody with him, were his sister Franshawn Shanae Deeds, who was driving the getaway vehicle, and Jamil Mitchell, who was a passenger. Both were arrested on out-of-state warrants for hindering the apprehension of a fugitive.
The U.S. Marshal alerted the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office to the possibility of Deeds fleeing toward Gainesville, Fla. A deputy saw a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect’s vehicle, and with another deputy, made a traffic stop.
After conducting a search, the deputies found Royheem Deeds in the trunk of the vehicle. All three were taken into custody without incident.
All three appeared in Nassau County court Monday morning and waived extradition. Georgia authorities are expected to pick them up.
“A police officer’s job is very dangerous, we see this around our country, even locally, things happen,” said Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper. “The Eastman, Ga., officer was just doing his job and he was killed as a result of that. It’s very sad when that happens, it’s certainly a good day when we can find that individual that did it and arrest them.”
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SOURCE: Destiny Johnson, WTLV- and WJXX-TV, Jacksonville
Ashley Trawick, WMAZ-TV, Macon, Ga.
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