Authorities probe fatal Lanier shooting

Published 7:01 am Thursday, December 5, 2019

LAKELAND — Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting incident that took place Saturday in Lanier County.

Just before 10 p.m., deputies were dispatched to Ga. 168 near River Road, where several people said a fight had taken place in a roadway between two people who were related by marriage, according to a Lanier County Sheriff’s Office statement. One of the men had been shot.

Interviews indicate one of the men had been agitated while attending a birthday party at the residence and was eventually told to leave the home. 

A short while later, while the homeowner and others were in the driveway near the highway, the agitated man returned, became aggressive, and at some point, brandished a knife, striking a family member and moving toward someone armed with a handgun, the statement said.

As the man approached, a single round was fired from the pistol and the man collapsed, according to the sheriff’s office.

The man who fired the shot immediately placed the shooting victim in his vehicle and began driving him to a hospital. As he drove, he called 911 and an ambulance was sent toward them; when the vehicle reached the city limits, the shooting victim was transferred to the EMS vehicle and taken to the emergency room. A short while later the coroner was summoned and declared the shooting victim dead, according to the statement.

The sheriff’s office has been identified as Ty Aaron Moody, 25, of Lanier County.

Deputies and investigators worked the incident all weekend in an attempt to interview those present and confirm the accounts they had received from each. A 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a knife were recovered as evidence in the case.

The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.