Two more men were charged after the investigation into the Wednesday Banks County deputy shooting, which ended Friday with the suspect’s death.
Avery Richard, 32, was wanted for shooting a Banks County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Commerce. He was shot and killed in Atlanta by FBI agents attempting to serve an arrest warrant.
Dustin Terrell Heuatt, 29, was charged Thursday with aggravated assault on a peace officer, aggravated assault and armed robbery. James Hall Askew, 26, was charged with aiding and abetting.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Nelly Miles did not comment on the basis of the charges.
On Wednesday, Banks County deputies responded to a robbery report at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce.
“The suspect, later identified as Richard, had stolen a vehicle at gunpoint,” according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation news release.
Deputies attempted to stop the man near the Tanger Outlet Center, when “Richard fired multiple times at officers before fleeing on foot across (Interstate 85),” according to the GBI.
“A Banks County deputy was struck by a round, but the bullet was stopped by his ballistic vest,” according to the GBI. “The deputy was transported to a local hospital for treatment.”
The deputy was later released from the hospital.
Hours later, a Commerce woman found Richard in her home, and he allegedly forced her to drive at gunpoint to the metro Atlanta area. She was then released, having sustained minor injuries.
FBI agents found Richard sitting in a car in the Holmes Plaza parking lot on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Atlanta. Richard then allegedly shot at the FBI agents.
One agent and a female passenger with Richard suffered gunshot wounds, and both were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for medical treatment.
Gainesville Police and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.