Manhunt ends for suspect accused of shooting 2 Georgia deputies

Tyler Keith Henderson was taken into custody Sunday after several days of being on the run.

Credit: AJC File

Credit: AJC File

Tyler Keith Henderson was taken into custody Sunday after several days of being on the run.

The hunt for a man suspected of shooting two Thomas County sheriff’s deputies came to an end Sunday afternoon, according to the GBI.

Tyler Keith Henderson, 25, of Ochlocknee, was taken into custody by authorities in the southwest Georgia county, the GBI said. Despite an intensive search that included helicopters, Henderson eluded capture for five days.

“He will now be a resident of the Thomas County Jail and will be held accountable for trying to take the life of three of our deputies,” the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.

Henderson is accused of firing on three deputies Tuesday morning, the sheriff’s office said at the time. Two were struck by the gunfire. One of them was protected by a ballistic vest, while the other was hit under the vest. Both deputies were stable following the shooting.

“Our efforts will now shift to getting our deputies back to 100%,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a post.

The incident took place in Ochlocknee, a small town of 672 people located 12 miles from Thomasville. Deputies had been trying to serve Henderson with a warrant when he got control of one of the deputies’ guns and fired at them before escaping.

Authorities issued a Blue Alert, an emergency designation that is activated for “violent criminals who kill or seriously injure law enforcement officers.”