A 22-year-old accused of gunning down his stepfather outside a Butts County grocery store was captured overnight following an hourslong manhunt in the rain, officials said.
Deputies on Tuesday issued a lookout for Justin Tyler Davenport after his stepdad was shot multiple times and killed outside an Ingles in Jackson, the GBI said. Jackson police were called shortly after 6 p.m. and found Terry Don Crawford, 47, dead in the parking lot. Davenport was quickly identified as a suspect.
After the shooting, Davenport ran from the scene and was spotted in the woods near Ga. 42 without shoes or a shirt, the Butts County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page. A lookout post included a photo of Davenport, calling the man “armed and dangerous” and encouraging anyone who spotted him to call 911.
Butts County deputies, Jackson police officers and the GBI assisted in the search, which lasted nearly six hours. The manhunt came to an end around midnight when Davenport was spotted in the woods and taken into custody without incident, authorities said. He hadn’t made it far from the grocery store and appeared soaking wet after hiding from police during the storm.
He is charged with one count of murder, but authorities haven’t said what prompted the deadly shooting. Crawford’s body will be taken to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy, officials said Wednesday. Davenport was booked into the Butts County Detention Center, where he remains without bond.
The shooting remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Jackson police at 770-775-7878 or the GBI’s Milledgeville office at 478-445-4173.
About the Author
