Authorities have captured a fugitive who evaded arrest for nearly one year and shot and killed a woman during his time on the run, the GBI said.

Tony Lanard Williams, 41, of Swainsboro, was arrested Tuesday after the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office received information that he was at a Statesboro apartment, the GBI said in a statement.

Williams had been wanted since June 2016 on federal drug trafficking charges stemming from a GBI and Drug Enforcement Administration investigation. During his time on the run, the GBI said Williams shot his co-defendant in that case and the man’s wife in Statesboro.

The co-defendant, Kenneth Gillis, survived the July 11 shooting. Gillis’ wife, Angela, did not.

In its statement, the GBI did not specify how the sheriff’s office finally learned of Williams’ whereabouts. Officials placed the apartment under surveillance and seized $4,900 in cash, crack cocaine, powdered cocaine and marijuana from Williams’ apartment after his arrest, the agency said. Williams was taken to the Emanuel County Jail.

Meanwhile, the GBI is investigating the death of a man who was in a vehicle that was stopped after leaving Williams’ apartment.

During the traffic stop, the man, identified as Walford McKinney, 46, of Vidalia, told authorities he swallowed an unknown amount of cocaine, the GBI said.

McKinney was taken to the East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro, where he later died. Officials will perform an autopsy at the GBI Crime Lab in Savannah.

In other news:

The department is hiring more than 100 officers.

About the Author

Featured

In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com