Holly MatkinHenry County, GA – A manhunt is underway for the suspect accused of shooting an off-duty Henry County detention officer in the chest and murdering a second victim during an attack at a McDonough apartment complex late last week.
Investigators said the fatal shooting occurred at the Hadden Place Apartments on Nov. 4, WXIA reported.
The unidentified Henry County detention officer was flown to a hospital in critical condition in the wake of the shooting and has since been stabilized, according to WSB.
He was shot multiple times in the attack, WXIA reported.
The second victim, identified by his family as 33-year-old Michael Brown, did not survive, according to WAGA.
Few details have been released regarding the shooting, but a warrant for 32-year-old Brentson Bernard Thomas’s arrest has been issued, WXIA reported.
Thomas faces charges of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, according to police.
He is also wanted for assault out of Clayton County, and for similar charges out of Miami-Dade County in Florida, WXIA reported.
Thomas’s abandoned vehicle was located by police on Saturday morning, but the manhunt for him continues.
Investigators said they believe he could be in the Atlanta or Fulton County area.
PLEASE BE ADVISED pic.twitter.com/ZHz05G41HC
— Henry County, GA Sheriff's Office (@HCSOGA) November 5, 2022
Henry County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) investigators announced on Monday that they secured arrest warrants for three individuals accused of helping Thomas evade capture in the wake of the fatal shooting, according to WXIA.
Two of those suspects have been arrested, but police are still searching for the third.
That suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Dimarie Ayanna Coulter, who is wanted for felony hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal, WXIA reported.
The two suspects who have already been arrested for allegedly assisting Thomas have been identified as Joseph Kimber and Lashonda Lay, according to WSB.
Kimber and Lay have both been charged with felony hindering apprehension of a fugitive.
BLUE ALERT | @HCSOGA Sheriff says they’ve arrest two of three suspects who are accused of helping Brentson Thomas escape custody. Thomas remains on the run after being accused of shooting a detention officer on Friday and killing a second man. pic.twitter.com/kaVkYYfgun
— Cody Alcorn (@CodyAlcorn) November 7, 2022
“It is a very intense investigation at this timeframe, we have very good leads we believe and are working those as we speak,” Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett said, according to WXIA. “Anyone that is thought to be aiding and abetting any of these people that were looking for Mr. Brentson Bernard Thomas or Ms. Dimarie Ayanna Coulter, we believe that you’re going to jail.”
The HCSO and Crime Stoppers Atlanta have offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Thomas’ arrest.
Sheriff Scandrett said Thomas should be considered armed and dangerous.
Brown’s family said he and Thomas both lived in apartments at the complex where the deadly shooting occurred and that they knew one another, but that they were not friends, WAGA reported.
Brown was also a maintenance worker at the complex.
Brown’s mother, Alicia Prado, said her son’s boss warned him earlier the day of the shooting that Thomas was acting strangely and seemed to be upset with Thomas for some reason.
“So, my son, I guess he went to him and was like, ‘what’s going on,’ and [Thomas] shot him,” Prado told WAGA. “He shot him and his best friend.”
She said Brown and the wounded Henry County detention officer have been friends since childhood.
Prado urged Thomas to surrender during her interview with WAGA.
“Just turn yourself in and face the music,” she said. “Just face what you did to my baby.”
