Deputies shoot, kill man during standoff at Americus home

AMERICUS, Ga. - Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in a southwest Georgia town after he shot at them, officers said Thursday.

Sumter County Sheriff Eric Bryant said deputies were called to a home on the outskirts of Americus on Wednesday night after a woman called 911 to report a man was barricaded in a house with a gun. The man was identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as Jamie Lynn Still, 45, of Americus.

The caller said Still was "acting very erratic and was intoxicated," Bryant said in a statement, with the woman adding she was locked in the house along with three children and that Still "had been physical with her."

When deputies arrived, Still came out on a front porch with a rifle, fired the gun, and then ran back inside, Bryant said. GBI investigators say Still refused to surrender after backup arrived and officers tried to talk to him.

When Still emerged and fired again, the GBI says deputies shot back and one hit Still before he ran inside again. The sheriff said deputies were helping the woman and three children at the same time to escape the house through a window. After they were safely removed, Bryant said deputies entered the house and found Still lying on the floor. He was dead by the time medics arrived, the sheriff said.

No officers were injured.

The GBI is conducting an autopsy on Still’s body and is investigating, as is typical for most police shootings in Georgia. Once its inquiry is finished, District Attorney Lewis Lamb will decide whether to seek criminal charges against anyone.