The man who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing at an officer outside a Buc-ee’s in northwest Georgia was a suspect in a Tennessee homicide, police said Friday.
Robert Smith, 35, of Cookeville, Tennessee, also led officers on a chase in a stolen vehicle during the Thursday incident, investigators said.
On April 11, Smith allegedly shot and killed Cassidy Jackson, 23, on Rachels Lane in Hermitage, according to the Nashville police department. Jackson was found with a gunshot wound to her head after she was reported missing by her family, police said.
Days later, Jackson’s vehicle was found in Atlanta with the help of a license plate reader, according to police. Smith was identified as a suspect, though investigators had not yet secured an arrest warrant charging him with murder.
Smith also had outstanding warrants on eight counts of aggravated assault and one count of especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated stalking, domestic assault, harassment and vandalism stemming from prior incidents, police said.
At about 4 a.m. Thursday, Calhoun police were called to the Buc-ee’s on Union Grove Road in Gordon County after getting a report of a domestic dispute. Smith had arrived at the gas station by getting a ride from someone after abandoning a vehicle in metro Atlanta on Wednesday, according to the GBI. Officials were called after the man who drove Smith stopped at the Buc-ee’s and asked employees to call 911.
When officers arrived, they tried to place the suspect in handcuffs but he ran, according to authorities.
Police said the man then turned and started shooting at officers. He also allegedly carjacked a vehicle in the parking lot and drove away.
No officers were injured during the shooting, police said. The Buc-ee’s location is open 24 hours a day.
After the gunfire, authorities in neighboring Whitfield County were told to be on the lookout for Smith, according to Sheriff Darren J. Pierce. Whitfield deputies spotted the stolen car on Chattanooga Road and a chase ensued, Pierce said. During the 3-mile pursuit on I-75, the suspect again shot at law enforcement before crashing near mile marker 339, Pierce said.
The responding deputies, who did not fire back, then approached the vehicle and found Smith dead with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the sheriff.
The GBI was asked to investigate the incident. Smith’s body was taken to the agency’s medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.
Later Thursday, the funeral was held for Jackson on the day before her 24th birthday, according to her obituary. She worked at the Holiday Inn in Cookeville, about 70 miles east of Nashville.
“Cassidy was known for her happy demeanor and her deep affection for her family and friends,” her obituary states. “She cherished her role as a loving dog owner to her beloved companion, Toby, whom she had cared for since she was just seven years old. Her warmth and enthusiasm for life left an indelible mark on everyone who had the privilege to know her.”
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