On a Saturday night, just two days before he would have turned 31, Officer Timothy Kevin 'Tim' Smith was tragically killed in the line of duty in Eastman, Georgia. The date was August 13, 2016, when the 30-year-old Eastman Police Department officer responded to a call about a suspicious person with a gun near the intersection of Smith Street and Main Street.
Officer Smith, a white male and a six-year veteran of the department, arrived on the scene around 9:30 p.m. and encountered the individual in question. After exiting his patrol car to investigate, a conversation ensued between Officer Smith and the man. Shortly thereafter, the man opened fire, shooting Officer Smith. Despite being wounded, Officer Smith was able to return fire and radio to dispatch that he had been shot. The gunman fled the scene.
An intense manhunt for the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Royheem Delshawn Deeds, was immediately launched. Two days later, in the early morning hours, Deeds was apprehended in Nassau County, Florida. Authorities received a tip that Deeds might be traveling to Gainesville and located the vehicle he was in. He was discovered hiding in the trunk of the car, which was being driven by his sister, Franshawn Deeds. Both she and another passenger, Jami Mitchell, were arrested and charged with hindering the apprehension of a fugitive.
Following his arrest, Royheem Deeds was charged with murder. A Dodge County Grand Jury later indicted him on nine counts, including malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault on a peace officer, and possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer. Prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty. As of August 2023, seven years after Officer Smith's death, the case against Deeds had yet to go to trial, with numerous pre-trial motions having been filed.
