MACON, Ga. — Tuesday night's chaos in the Quail Ridge subdivision ended with one man shot to death by Bibb deputies.
Sheriff David Davis says deputies shot 30-year-old Keith Young to protect themselves after he rammed several deputies' vehicles -- including one with a deputy still in it -- with his pickup truck.
But according to the sheriff, the trouble for Young started earlier in the day.
"Attorneys had contacted him and to let him know that he was going to be served with divorce papers, so he knew that the divorce was obviously somewhat imminent," said Davis. "That was the spark that ignited the situation that happened yesterday."
That situation unfolded around 6 p.m. in the South Macon neighborhood, when a woman told Bibb deputies that Young, who was her husband, tied her up and took her three young kids.
"(Young) had tied up his estranged wife, she had gotten herself free and came over here to some friends' house," said Davis.
Davis said Young "struck her a couple times, held her down as he was tying her."
The two had been married for four years, according to the sheriff, but Young had not been living in the house for the last several weeks
According to Sheriff David Davis, the two had been married for four years and were still legally married at the time of the incident, but Young had not lived in the house for several weeks.
The two had a 3-year-old and an 11-month-old son together. The couple also had an 8-year-old son from the woman's prior relationship.
While deputies and the woman were talking in a front yard Tuesday night, Young returned to the scene.
When Young spotted the sheriff's deputies' cars on the street, he drove his pickup truck right at them.
He "suddenly sped up, crashed into the sheriff's cars," said Davis. "One of the cars there was a deputy still in it."
Two other deputies at the scene opened fire on Young.
"They had to take action to, you know, to stop the threat," said Davis. "Basically, he was using that truck as a weapon."
The timeline of the shooting is still under investigation. At this point, Davis said it's hard to say whether the deputies started shooting at Young before his truck struck the cars or immediately after.
"This is a quick series of events," said Davis.
Young was shot at least once and died at the hospital, according to coroner Leon Jones.
A release from the sheriff's office says the three kids were found safe with one of Young's family members and returned to their mom around 11:30 Tuesday night.
Davis says the GBI and Bibb Sheriff's Office internal affairs are both investigating the shooting.
Both deputies who fired shots are now on paid leave.
Davis says that's all standard protocol for his office after a deputy shoots someone on duty.
The sheriff declined to release their names Wednesday afternoon.
Special Agent in Charge Todd Crosby says the GBI's job is to determine whether the shooting was legally justified. The Bibb Sheriff's Office's internal affairs investigation focuses on sheriff's office policy, and will decide whether the deputies committed any policy violations.
Crosby said he expects the GBI to have a preliminary report available for Macon District Attorney David Cooke to review in about a week.
The deputy who was in her car when it was rammed is now recovering.
Davis said she's got some scrapes and bruises but nothing serious.
RELATED: Macon man dead after taking his three children, crashing into deputy patrol cars was ACE teacher
FACTS NOT FEAR | At 13WMAZ, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the coronavirus. To see our full coverage, visit our site section here: www.13wmaz.com/Coronavirus.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.