Family sues Gordon County after deputy kills grandfather following chase

GORDON COUNTY, Ga. - The family of a man killed by a Gordon County deputy has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the deputy, the county, and the county sheriff over his death.

On Jan. 24, 51-year-old grandfather Billy Dewayne Couch was killed after officials say he led a deputy on a chase after an attempted traffic stop on Cook Road.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Couch drove back to his home and, after being blocked in by the deputy's patrol car, got out of his vehicle.

At some point during the incident, the GBI says the deputy fired shots at Couch, hitting him at least once.

Medics transported Couch to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The family says that Couch was unarmed and was shot by Deputy Aaron Carnes without any warning. After the shooting, the family claims Carnes left Couch bleeding on the ground without medical attention.

"My father should be alive today, living his life and seeing his grandchildren grow up," says Kelsey Morgan Brown, the victim’s daughter. "Instead, this senseless act of violence by a Gordon County sheriff's deputy took him from us forever. We are bringing this lawsuit to try to get justice the only way we can think of in the midst of this immense tragedy."

In the lawsuit, the family says that Couch was the second person killed by Carnes in less than a year - the other being 26-year-old Rossville resident Casey Honea. Honea was killed after a police chase on Interstate 75 on April 19, 2022.

"For the second time, Deputy ‘Storm’ Carnes has shot and killed an unarmed civilian," says attorney David B. Owens of Loevy & Loevy, who represents the family. "And, for the second time, the Sheriff and the government of Gordon County have put this officer back on the streets with a gun and permission to use violence with some form of impunity. Today’s lawsuit seeks justice for the family, but it also sends a strong and clear message that Gordon County bears responsibility for the unnecessary loss of life that it could have prevented."

The family is asking for a trial, compensatory and punitive damages, and "any other relief this Court deems just and appropriate."