BROOKS COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) - New details are being revealed about the stand-off in Brooks County last week that ended in flames.
According to a press release by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Brooks County Sheriff’s deputies and officers with the Department of Community Supervision were attempting to serve warrants on Timothy Smothers Jr. on March 2.
They were trying to serve three different warrants: A felony entering auto warrant, a violation of probation warrant and a search warrant for items stolen in a burglary.
When officers spoke with residents of the home, they learned Smothers was inside but would not come out. That's when they called the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team to help with the arrest.
When SWAT arrived, they tried to negotiate with Smothers, who remained uncooperative and unresponsive.
OC chemicals (oleoresin capsicum, which is used in pepper spray) were then thrown inside the residence in an attempt to force Smothers out. While deploying the OC, a fire started inside the mobile home.
While the home was still burning, SWAT members and Brooks firefighters entered the home and removed Smothers' body which was found in the bathroom.
They discovered he had a gunshot wound in his chest area and transported him to South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta where he later died.
When GBI agents later searched the home, they found a pistol previously reported as stolen.
The pistol was found in the same area of the home where Smothers' body was recovered from earlier. One spent shell casing and a bullet were also located in the bathroom area where it was determined Smothers was hiding.
The gun was the same one Brooks County investigators were trying to find in their search warrant.
An autopsy performed at the GBI Crime Lab located a single press contact gunshot wound to the chest on Smothers.
So far, the investigation shows that no law enforcement shot their firearms at Smothers, nor did he shoot at law enforcement.
This case is active and ongoing.
BROOKS COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) - Officials have confirmed a Georgia man died after a standoff led to a house fire in Brooks County Friday.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says 31-year-old Timothy Smothers died at South Georgia Medical Center. His father tells WTXL his son was shot and killed when he refused to turn himself over to deputies who had a warrant for his arrest.
"My brother went in and identified him. I couldn't do it. I was devastated," said Timothy Smothers, Sr. "That boy wasn't all there mentally. He didn't think just right but he was a good boy."
GBI officials say an autopsy will be performed Monday at their crime lab in Macon. Agents are still conducting interviews with public safety officers and witnesses. They expect to release more information Monday.
