Royheem Deeds. Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Royheem Delshawn Deeds is accused in the murder of the Georgia police officer shot after approaching a suspicious man on a neighborhood street.
Deeds was arrested Aug. 14 in Florida in the murder of Officer Tim Smith, said ABC News.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had released a photo of Deeds, 24, and sought help from the public in finding him after he fled the scene where Smith was shot the evening of Aug. 13, The Atlanta Journal Constitution said.
The murder of Smith came one day after a New Mexico police officer, Jose Chavez, was shot to death in a traffic stop. A man wanted for murder in Ohio, Jesse Hanes, is accused in Chavez’ death.
Another Georgia police officer, Scott Davis, was shot on the morning of Aug. 14 after responding to a car break-in report but is recovering.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Smith Was Responding to a Suspicious Person Call But Officers Have No Evidence it Was an Ambush
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Officer Smith was on patrol when he responded to a call of a suspicious person at an intersection, said CBS News.
Smith “left his patrol car to investigate the person” when he was shot, according to WTOC. He returned fire.
The officer was shot in Eastman, a small town an hour from Macon, Georgia.
“Smith was responding to a suspicious person call when he encountered the gunman, exited his patrol car and was shot,” says News 4.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that, according to law enforcement, the shooting “does not appear to be a racially motivated ambush.”
Scott Whitley, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “there’s no evidence pointing to” Deeds having laid a “trap” for the officer, but added, “We’re not dispelling that (theory), but it doesn’t look that way at the moment.”
2. Deeds Was Found in The Trunk of a Car, Reports Say
Royheem Deeds was booked in Nassau Co. jail around 3 a.m. He’s accused of killing Eastman police officer Tim Smith.
Deeds was arrested after he was found hiding in a car trunk, says WKOV.
The Nassau County Sheriff held a news conference on the morning of Aug. 15.
“Deputies arrested Deeds, his sister and another man who was in the car,” WKOV said.
3. Officer Smith Was The Son of a Police Officer & Died Two Days Before His Birthday
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Smith’s father, Lewis Smith, works for Glenwood police in Wheeler County, Georgia, an hour away from the shooting scene, says The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Smith had worked for the police department for five years.
4. The Slain Officer Was Not Wearing a Body Camera & Was a Father of Three
Eastman police Officer Tim Smith would have been 31 years old tomorrow.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that Tim Smith had three children and would have turned 31 on Aug. 15. He also left behind a fiancee.
In addition to not having a body camera, Officer Smith also was not wearing a bullet proof vest, says The New York Daily News.
He was shot when he exited his patrol car, The Daily News said.
Smith’s fiancee, Chelsea Clark, told CNN: “We were engaged. We were trying to get on our feet before getting married.” Smith “always hugged her and his children and told them he loved them every day before work,” she told the network.
5. A Reward Was Offered For Deed’s Arrest & He Has a Prior Arrest Record
Deeds was booked into the Nassau County Jail at 2 a.m. Aug. 15, said The Daily News.
A reward was offered in Smith’s death. News 4 said “Deeds has several previous arrests, including charges of battery, robbery, aggravated assault and cruelty to children.”