Two Prison Guards Killed, inmates escape- Putnam Cnty, GA

[Ronin13]

Escaped prisoners shoot, kill guards in Putnam Co.
Prisoners Donnie Russell Rowe, 43, and Ricky Dubose, 24, overpowered two Georgia State Correctional Officers at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday.
The attack happened as the officers were transporting them on a prison bus on Ga. Hwy. 16 between Eatonton and Sparta in Putnam County.

After taking the officers' .40 caliber Glock pistols, one of the inmates shot and killed the two officers, according to a news release from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office.

Both suspects are now armed with the officers' guns, the news release states.

Escaped prisoners shot and killed two state prison guards in Putnam County early Tuesday.

It happened on Highway 16 near Ward's Chapel Road, according to Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee.

The Putnam County Sheriff's office told our Atlanta station, WXIA-TV, that two prisoners being transported were able to overpower the guards on the bus before killing them and escaping.
So far there's no word on the whereabouts of the inmates.

Several law enforcement agencies are searching the area.
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/escaped-prisoners-shoot-kill-guards-in-putnam-co/448271983

I was always taught that transport is the highest risk operation when it comes to dealing with inmates. Prayers.

[Ronin13]

They've been caught...

Hero homeowner holds escaped Georgia inmates at gunpoint until arrests
A Tennessee homeowner held two escaped inmates wanted in the killing of two prison guards at gunpoint Thursday until authorities arrived and made the arrests.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Bill Miller said late Thursday that the homeowner caught Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose trying to steal his vehicle.

Miller says the escaped Georgia inmates had crashed a car while being chased by law enforcement and fled on foot into woods along Interstate 24 near the rural community of Christiana.

Miller says something alerted the homeowner that people were outside his home and he saw the men trying to steal his vehicle. The trooper says the homeowner held the two at gunpoint with a neighbor he called until the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department could get there to arrest them.

Rowe and Dubose are accused of killing two guards on a prison transfer bus early Tuesday. Authorities had offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to their arrests.

Authorities say Rowe and Dubose overpowered and killed Sgt. Christopher Monica and Sgt. Curtis Billue early Tuesday on a bus that should have been secured as it carried 33 inmates between prisons southeast of Atlanta.
Authorities had offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the fugitives, whom Sills had called "dangerous beyond description."

The search had involved law enforcement officers all over Georgia, as well as the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Gov. Nathan Deal released a statement, “Rest assured, justice will be served. My sincere thanks to our local, state and federal law enforcement officers who assisted in the manhunt. Because of their tireless efforts, the public is safe."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/06/16/hero-homeowner-holds-escaped-georgia-inmates-at-gunpoint-until-arrests.html

[Gman]

Yep, read about that today.

Tennessee "hero" says Georgia fugitives surrendered to him (http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/tennessee-hero-says-georgia-fugitives-surrendered-to-him/ar-BBCKK1y)

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — The man credited by law enforcement with holding two Georgia prison escapees at gunpoint until police arrived rejected the "hero" label on Friday, and said credit should go to forces well beyond his control.

Patrick Hale said friends had just alerted him that the fugitives wanted in the slayings of two prison guards had been spotted in his area of rural Tennessee, so he quickly loaded his guns. Moments later, he saw them climb over his fence and approach his home, where he was alone with his little girl.

He decided to flee — getting into his car with his girl — but then realized he had left a loaded shotgun at his door, possibly within reach of the escapees.

Then, just as he prepared for the worst, the inmates took off their shirts and waved them in the air in a sign of surrender. He thinks they mistook his car for a law enforcement vehicle. He never had to pull out his weapon.

"I realized I had two ex-cons wanted for murder who had just shot at law enforcement who had nothing to lose and for some reason they surrendered and laid down on the concrete in my driveway," Hale said. "If that doesn't make you believe in Jesus Christ, I don't know what does."

More than 45 police officers began showing up within three minutes, he said.

"I cannot tell you how grateful I was to see them arrive," Hale said.

[Bailey Guns]

Sounds like a very humble man caught in a horrible situation. I'm thankful it worked out for him. It sounds to me like the bad guys may have seen the writing on the wall and decided surrendering to an individual and going back to prison (where they'll likely wind up on death row in a few years...and then live for several more) might be preferable to dying immediately at the hands of the police.

[fitz19d]

And currently sounds like Locals trying to not pay up.

Granted this gun blog usually is fairly antagonistic towards police so grain of salt.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/06/dean-weingarten/sheriff-sills-reneges-on-reward-to-georgia-homeowners-who-captured-murderous-convicts/

[BushMasterBoy]

Probably would have gotten paid if he killed em both. Sheriff oughta be ashamed.

[sroz]

Sounds like TN. may make payment of the reward mandatory prior to extraditing these 2 back to GA.

Edit: removed derogatory statement about the sheriff since it's now come out that this was another example of MSM fake news.

[O2HeN2]

Retraction on TTAG: http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/06/dean-weingarten/retraction-sheriff-howard-sills-not-renege-reward/

They admit to being duped by misleading edits from the MSM. AKA "Fake news".

O2