QUITMAN — An Ohio man was arrested and charged Wednesday with two counts of murder in the deaths of two men in Brooks County, said authorities.

Kenny Pruitt, 36, of Cleveland, Ohio, was charged with two counts each of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation statement.

Around 3:28 p.m. Wednesday, Brooks County Sheriff Mike Dewey asked the GBI to investigate two males who had been shot and killed on Emerson Road near Grooverville Road in south Brooks County.  One of the victims has been identified as John Timothy Thompson, 56, of East Liverpool, Ohio.  The second victim’s identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification, the statement said.

Investigators believe Pruitt and three other men travelled to Quitman from the Cleveland area Sunday. One of the victims was traveling to the area to visit family members, and the others accompanied him on the trip, the GBI said. 

Pruitt was arrested without incident and booked into the Brooks County Jail.

The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office is scheduled to perform autopsies of the two victims on Friday. 

Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said deputies from his office assisted the investigation, identifying one of the victims with the Rapid ID advanced fingerprinting system.

GBI agents and sheriff’s investigators are still working to determine what events led to the shooting. Anyone with information about this case should call the GBI Regional Office in Thomasville at 229-225-4090 or the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office at 229-263-7558.  

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.