A homicide investigation in southeast Georgia turned into an officer-involved shooting Sunday when a man standing near a woman’s body picked up a gun and refused to put it down, according to the GBI.
About 1:30 p.m., Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies were called to a shooting in the 1300 block of Joe Hilton Road in Vidalia, the state agency said Monday in a statement.
When they got to the scene, deputies found John Fountain in the back of a home standing near multiple firearms. They told Fountain to step away from the weapons, but he ignored them, the GBI said.
While talking to Fountain, one of the deputies noticed a woman’s body on the ground. At some point, Fountain picked up one of the firearms and deputies told him to drop it, the GBI said. Fountain continued to ignore them, prompting one deputy to shoot him, according to officials.
Fountain was flown to a hospital, where his condition is unknown.
Authorities identified the body as that of Alice Faye Humphrey, a woman who lived at the residence with Fountain. Her body was taken for an autopsy.
The homicide investigation is ongoing, and the GBI is investigating the shooting, officials said.
This is the 75th officer-involved shooting investigation the GBI has opened in 2019.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don't involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the GBI's tally.
In other news:
About the Author
