It was a bittersweet day of welcoming a new life while grieving one taken too soon. Four days after Chase Maddox was gunned down as he helped serve a warrant, the Locust Grove police officer’s wife delivered a baby boy on Tuesday.
The newborn, named Bodie, is the couple’s second child, and the grieving Henry County community did its part to show a widow and her two boys how much they are loved. Contributions for the Maddox family topped $100,000 and continued to flow in, according to police.
“What happened can’t be reversed, but out of this senseless tragedy, it is encouraging to see the love from the entire community,” Henry Sheriff Keith McBrayer said in a letter posted on his department’s Facebook page.
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Meanwhile, new details are emerging about what may have driven 39-year-old Tierre Guthrie to violence, including his belief that he did not have to abide by laws.
“They were attacked on Friday from an individual that did not respect our laws. A man that did not believe in the law,” McBrayer said. “He opposed our form of government and had no value for human life. For someone to open fire in a house at officers when he had his own family in that same house is hard to imagine.”
Guthrie had been served eviction papers nine days earlier, McBrayer told Channel 2 Action News. But when Guthrie failed to appear in court last week after being cited for illegally parking a commercial vehicle, deputies returned to his St. Francis Court rental home with an arrest warrant. Deputies spoke with Guthrie for roughly 10 minutes before calling for backup assistance, McBrayer said.
“It was made clear he had no intention of going anywhere with anybody,” McBrayer said.
Guthrie used language that implied he was a sovereign citizen, a group that believes they are exempt from government regulations. It was Maddox who responded to the deputies’ request for help.
As deputies attempted to arrest Guthrie, he went up the stairs just inside the home’s front door and grabbed a gun, McBrayer said. Deputy Michael Corley was shot first, but the bullet hit his vest.
“The witnesses that we know of said they saw him come out the door and he was hollering and in pain and realized that he was okay enough to go back,” McBrayer said. “So he turned around and went back inside, but by the time he had got back inside the entire incident was over.
Guthrie also shot Deputy Sid Callaway and Maddox, who was struck three times, according to the GBI. The deputies returned fire, hitting Guthrie several times. Callaway, a law enforcement veteran serving as a reserve deputy, was shot in the abdomen. Corley was treated and released from the hospital on Friday, while Callaway’s condition improved and he was able to move from intensive care to a regular hospital room, McBrayer said Tuesday.
Since Maddox’s death, the community has rallied to help his family through various fundraising efforts. Donations were being accepted at United Community banks and at the Locust Grove police department. A fund had also been set up to assist Callaway with his recovery.
Maddox's funeral will be held 11 a.m. Saturday at the Glen Haven Baptist Church in McDonough, Ga.
HOW TO HELP:
THE MADDOX FAMILY
Bank donations: You can drop off donations at any United Community Bank location and ask that it be deposited into "THE MADDOX FAMILY FUND." Donations may be mailed to the local branch at 4970 Bill Gardner Parkway, Locust Grove, GA 30248
Item donations: You can donate newborn and infant items at the Locust Grove Public Safety Building, 3640 Highway 42, Locust Grove, GA 30248. Food donations must be coordinated through police by contacting 770-957-7055.
Transportation: The family is in need of a custom van for their son with special needs. Donations can be made at the Toyota of McDonough dealership at 144 Highway 81 West, McDonough, GA 30253 or by calling 770-651-0802.
WOUNDED HENRY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RALPH "SID" CALLAWAY:
A YouCaring fundraiser has been set up to help the family with expenses: https://www.youcaring.com/ralphsidcallaway-1095319
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