A sheriff’s deputy in Middle Georgia has died, authorities said, after he was shot during a traffic stop in Cordele early Wednesday, the first member of law enforcement in the state to be killed in the line of duty this year.
“A Crisp County sheriff’s deputy met evil as he patrolled the streets,” Sheriff Billy Hancock said in a statement while surrounded by members of other agencies.
After the shooting, the suspect is accused of taking the deputy’s patrol vehicle, which law enforcement pursued through several Georgia counties, according to the sheriff’s office. The GBI was called to investigate the incident.
Deputy Tyee Browne, 26, was conducting a traffic stop on a “suspicious” truck in the middle of U.S. 280 around 3:40 a.m. when he determined it was allegedly stolen, according to the GBI. The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Croshawn Cross of Unadilla, had been wanted for several burglaries, Hancock said.
When Browne checked the truck, Cross is accused of shooting him and taking his patrol vehicle, the GBI stated. As the suspect drove away, responding deputies fired shots at him, officials said.
Credit: GBI
Credit: GBI
The deputy, who lived in Macon County, was in critical condition when he was taken to Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele, where he died, Hancock said. Monroe County deputies eventually arrested the suspect on I-475 and recovered the patrol vehicle.
Browne had been a deputy for less than a year after previously serving as a jailer for the sheriff’s office, according to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Before that, he was a guard at Macon State Prison.
He is the second Georgia law enforcement member to die in the line of duty this year, and the first to be killed, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page that tracks law enforcement deaths. In January, Master Patrol Officer C.J. Williams with the Cairo Police Department died after suffering a medial emergency during a foot pursuit.
The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office also lost a deputy in October 2020 due to complications from COVID-19. Cpl. Avery Hillman had served with the sheriff’s office for 30 years and was assigned to the Hospital Division. He was also a veteran of the Georgia National Guard.
In 2022, five Georgia law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty, including two Cobb County deputies who were shot. In addition, three law enforcement members were killed in car crashes and five other officers died from medical issues, according to the Officer Down website.
An investigation is ongoing into Wednesday’s shooting.
Just after 1 p.m., the sheriff’s office said Browne’s body was being escorted to Hughes & Wright Funeral Home in Cordele, where the public is invited to pay their respects.
“In the midst of tragedy, our agency has been graced with overwhelming support. We would fail miserably at thanking every individual agency and organization that responded, reached out or offered support,” the sheriff’s office added, while acknowledging some they believed deserved “honorable” mention. “We would like to also thank the multitude of law enforcement organizations that have sent representatives and offered condolences.”
Cross is facing charges that include felony murder, murder, two counts of aggravated assault, theft by receiving stolen property, carjacking, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He was incarcerated at Calhoun State Prison from July 2021 to April 2023 on a burglary charge out of Dooly County, according to online records.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation into Browne’s death and the officer-involved shooting. Once completed, it will turn over its findings to the Cordele Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
The incident was the 49th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year, a drastic decrease from the same time last year when there had been 66.
— Data specialist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this article.
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