Columbia County Sheriff Clay Whittle provided an update Sunday on the Saturday afternoon shooting on the side of I-20 that killed one deputy and injured another.
Whittle said shooting suspect James Blake Montgomery is dead, likely shot by another officer, but that the manner of his death won’t be confirmed until an autopsy is done. Deputies found pipe bombs, including one rigged with a remote switch, and numerous other weapons in his vehicle, the sheriff said.
Whittle identified the deceased Columbia County deputy as Brandon Sikes, a crime suppression officer who had been with the sheriff’s office since 2018. Sikes is survived by his wife, Amber, who also is an employee of the sheriff’s office, he said.
The second deputy, Gavin White, was shot in the face. He’s in critical condition and currently undergoing surgery at Wellstar Medical Center, Whittle said. White was able to speak and move his limbs, but has a long road to recovery, he said.
The incident unfolded around 6:24 p.m. Saturday as deputies initiated a traffic stop on Montgomery to serve a domestic violence temporary restraining order, the sheriff said. Montgomery, who was driving an motor home that was towing another vehicle, pulled over to the eastbound shoulder of I-20, just west of the Belair Road exit.
Deputies informed Montgomery they were serving him with a TPO and he appeared to respond in a cooperative manner, he said.
But as Sikes and White turned to walk away, Montgomery produced a 9 mm AR pistol he had converted into a fully-automatic weapon and fired on them and a third deputy, striking the two, Whittle said.
Whittle called Sikes “a very brave officer” for whom the sheriff’s office must now have a funeral. He asked the community for support.
“It is going to be a difficult time for the sheriff’s office, but we will get through this,” Whittle said. “We just hope that everyone keep us in their thoughts and prayers.”
A third deputy present during the initial assault, Andrew Brown, was uninjured and able to retrieve a weapon from his car and return fire at Montgomery, as did Deputy Jared Mason, who was on the westbound side of the interstate, the sheriff said.
The two “both engaged the shooter,” Whittle said. “We’ll know for sure when we get forensics back, but I think they are the ones that brought this fight to an end.”
Police think deputies likely stopped the suspect with gunfire as he tried to drive away in the motor home, Whittle said. As they were shooting at him, the motor home veered off to the left then crashed against wire barriers, he said.
Meanwhile, while “having to engage this mad man,” Brown grabbed White from where he’d been shot and dragged him to a patrol car, then drove him to the Doctors Hospital ER, which likely saved his life, Whittle said.
With Montgomery no longer a threat, deputies soon determined his motor home contained what looked like hazardous materials. Using bomb-detecting drones and a robot, they ascertained that inside the motor home were pipe bombs, one of which was rigged with a remote switch, he said.
By this point, several county and state law enforcement agencies, including bomb squads, had arrived to assist, Whittle said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Richmond County bomb squad and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division “worked very diligently for several hours” to get into the motor home to disable the bomb, he said.
Inside the vehicle they found several more handguns and numerous magazines and boxes of ammunition Montgomery would have used in his converted automatic weapon, Whittle said.
Authorities also found several jars inside with pipes sticking out of them that were possibly used to make bombs or in the illegal steroid operation Montgomery was engaged in, he said.
Asked if Montgomery was in a “downward spiral,” Whittle commented on mental illness being “rampant in this country,” with “nothing being done.”
A sheriff’s office memo issued just before the incident warned that Montgomery suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had been off his medication. It advised that he’d been staying in a motorhome he moved from place to place, including Elijah Clark State Park.
It also warned deputies not to approach Montgomery alone as he would likely be armed with the weapons and possibly pipe bombs.
Whittle said Montgomery’s motor home arsenal was likely “part of his destructive idea of what he was going to do,” including the rumor “he would not go down without a fight.”
Following the press conference, the Columbia County Board of Commissioners released the following statement: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Brandon Sikes, who was tragically killed in the line of duty while serving Columbia County. Officer Sikes exemplified the highest standards of bravery and dedication, making the ultimate sacrifice to protect others. Our prayers and heartfelt condolences are with his family during this incredibly difficult time.
We also ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for Officer Gavin White as he fights for his recovery.
We honor their extraordinary commitment and courage and are forever indebted to them for their service. We will never forget the sacrifices made in the pursuit of safety and justice.”
