Dep. Justyn Weaver who was seriously wounded in a shotgun ambush Saturday night in Milner, is to have surgery on his left arm today. “We ask that you keep him in your prayers. He is still in good spirits. This is another example of how great a young man he truly is,” sheriff Brad White said. Gov. Brian Kemp called and wished Weaver well. Meanwhile the alleged shooter, Donald Chandler Gordy, has waived extradition He is being held in the Spalding County jail. He is charged with aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and multiple criminal damage to property charges. ’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢ UPDATE: Gordy was denied bond by Judge Karen Jackson in a first appearance bond held at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The hearing was conducted via Skype. Gordy is charged with aggravated assault upon a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, attempted murder via threatening witnesses and four counts criminal interference with government property. The last charges stemmed from damage to Weaver’s patrol car. The windshield was damaged and the camera system and in-car computer destroyed. ’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢’¢ He is to have a first appearance hearing today – likely via Skype. Gordy was arrested last November after fighting with deputies but Weaver was not involved. He was charged with obstruction and possession of meth at that time. Print coverage from 8.11.20 edition of The Herald Gazette…. A Lamar County deputy is recovering in an Atlanta hospital after being shot while on duty Saturday night. The alleged shooter fled the scene and was later captured along I-20 in Alabama. Dep. Justyn Weaver was dispatched to the 100 block of Moore Street in Milner following a report of a suspicious person in the area about 10:45 p.m. He had ridden the street two or three times when a white male popped up out of a wooded are and opened fire. ’Justyn had never gotten out of his patrol car. No words were spoken. The guy just opened up on him. He fired five rounds. Thank goodness they were all birdshot or we would have had a totally different ending,’ sheriff Brad White said. The officer down call triggered a huge law enforcement response and investigators quickly identified the suspect as Donald Chandler Gordy, 38, of 323 Old Milner Road. A strike team went to his home but he was gone. It was learned Gordy was in the Moore Street area trying to visit his soon-to-be ex-wife at her mother’s home. He apparently saw the deputy in the area and retrieved the shotgun. Weaver was treated at the scene and then air lifted to an Atlanta trauma center. He was in ICU for a small brain bleed that is expected to clear up on its own. ‘He has a pellet near his right eye and his left arm is torn up pretty bad but he should be good,’ the sheriff added. Gordy fled the scene in a white pickup truck. His phone was pinged in Henry County. He was later picked up by a tag reader operated by Villa Rica police on I-20 headed west. ‘We knew he had relatives in Alabama. Villa Rica called ahead and they were waiting for him in St. Clair County near Birmingham,’ sheriff White continued. Gordy was arrested without incident. Investigators were en route to Alabama to pick him up Monday morning. Gordy and Weaver had no history between them though Gordy was arrested for possession of meth and obstruction of an officer last November. Gordy is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and multiple additional charges are pending. Weaver was recently honored by LCSO for helping medical personnel save a life. Ironically, the last man to shoot at law enforcement here died Sunday night. Terrell Tidwell, 63, opened fire on BPD officers Mark Evans, Freddie Oates and Michael McEachern with a shotgun on Feb. 20, 2018. Tidwell died of apparent natural causes at the same Willow Wind Circle apartment he lived in at the time of the shooting. ’While he was out on bond, he was allowed to go back to the very same apartment. I don’t think he had even been to court yet. And, they wonder why we get frustrated,’ Capt. Al Moltrum said Monday.
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