Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, October 5, 2022/Page 18A
(Eift Aiiuancg
Trooper
continued from page 3A
Upon arriving at the scene,
Morrison noticed a vehicle,
identified as the truck from
which the shots originated,
located across the road
from the trailer park. The
vehicle traveled through
several yards in the trailer
park, at which time Glos-
son joined the chase. Sus
pect Charles Tavaris James,
32, jumped out of the ve
hicle and continued his es
cape on foot.
The vehicle then began
to approach Morrison’s pa
trol car where more shots
were heard. Glosson ra
dioed to dispatch that he
was keeping his distance
in the pursuit to prevent
being shot. As Glosson dis
tanced, Trooper Manning
then took the lead in the
pursuit, which continued
to the area of South 11th
Street, where the driver of
the vehicle, Taliyah Wil
liams, 17, jumped out of
the vehicle, was shot, and
fell to the ground, allowing
officers to apprehend her.
Upon the female suspect’s
exit from the vehicle, Glos
son stated he saw Trooper
Manning open the door
of his patrol car approxi
mately 20 to 25 yards from
Williams.
Williams received a
gunshot wound to the knee
area, and no weapon was
found on her person. She
had a previous gunshot
injury to her hip which oc
curred in what was deter
mined to be a gang-related
shooting on the same day
as the chase. There was no
one else in the vehicle at
the time she fled on foot,
and she claimed that she
had caught a ride with a
friend, who stopped at the
CKT Trailer Park. She said
the pair were fired upon in
the area of the trailer park
and she was scared to stop
the vehicle.
Game Warden Usher
arrived to the scene once
Williams was already
handcuffed, and assisted
Manning in the search for
a firearm, which was not
located. He spoke with a
neighbor at the scene who
shared that her trailer had
been shot, and a defect
was found in the home, as
the trailer appeared to have
been grazed by a bullet.
Deputy Meeks arrived
on scene after the pur
suit had been concluded,
and met with Morrison,
who had James in custody.
Meeks was told that James
had an empty holster on
his person, and found a Hi-
Point loaded firearm with
in the area. She also discov
ered what appeared to be
a crash site near the trailer
park where the suspects
apparently crashed into
a tree, with a .223 casing,
which is commonly used in
an AR15, and several 9mm
casings in the road nearby.
GBI Reports
GBI Special Agents
Reese and Howard probed
the scene following the
incident. Agent Howard
shared that he had learned
James was known for rob
bing drug dealers, and that
he and Williams were in
a romantic relationship.
He said that while inter
viewing Williams on Janu
ary 10, she told him that
she and James were at the
trailer park the previous
night when some Blood
gang members shot at her
car, causing the pair to hit a
tree when they tried to get
away. James had just freed
the vehicle when the pair
saw law enforcement, at
which time he fled on foot.
Williams claimed the Hi-
Point gun and told Howard
she had tried to get rid of
it during the incident be
cause she did not want po
lice to find it.
Williams also in
formed Howard that she
had a phone and wallet
in her hand when she ex
ited the vehicle, which she
thought Trooper Manning
may have believed was a
gun.
Agent Reese studied
several physical elements of
the scene, which evidenced
that Trooper Manning had
shot 5 times and that Wil
liams’ vehicle had defects
on it that came from a rifle
rather than a handgun. In
side of the suspect vehicle,
there was a firearm maga
zine that appeared to be
taped together, and a bul
let was found in the driver
floorboard.
As the agents contin
ued to investigate the inci
dent, several more details
were learned and many
were reaffirmed. The agents
became aware that James’
vehicle had been shot with
a weapon prior to the pur
suit at the trailer park, and
that all details within that
investigation affirmed that
the incident was gang re
lated.
Agent Reese studied
Trooper Manning’s 21-year
history as a GSP Trooper,
which showed he had no
prior use of force incidents
and that all related train
ing was up-to-date. He had
nothing negative in his file,
and even had several letters
of commendation from
leadership.
Trooper Manning’s
Testimony
Trooper Manning was
asked to take the stand by
Grand Jury members and
spoke of his perspective of
the incident. He told the
jury that he was working
in the area of Lyons a little
after midnight on January
9 when he responded to a
call for assistance because
of a pursuit and shots fired
at LPD. He said he re
sponded and took the lead
on the pursuit until Wil
liams ran off the road on a
sharp curve, which led her
to exit the vehicle.
As Williams got out
of her vehicle, Manning
reported he saw a black
object in her hand, which
he believed to be a firearm,
prompting him to shoot
at her. He said he had not
heard the original dispatch
call, but knew officers had
been reporting shots fired
By Mike Branch
Sports Editor
sports 7 advance@gmail.com
As part of the year's
Real Squeal BBQ_& Music
Festival there will be a
cruise in on Friday during
the Street Dance and then
a car show on Saturday in
the parking lot of the First
Baptist Church of Lyons.
On Friday in down
town Lyons will be the
Squeal-In, Squeal-Out Car
Show. There is no fee to be
a part of this event. There
will be People's Choice
over the radio when he
joined the pursuit.
Fitzner’s Comments
District Attorney
Fitzner commented on the
hearing and its results. “I
let them (the Grand Jury)
hear what I thought was
as complete of a picture of
what happened as could
possibly be provided, and
and Squealer's Choice
awards presented during
the event.
The cruise in will start
at 5:00 p.m. and will run
until after the fireworks as
part of the Street Dance.
On Saturday at the Ly
ons First Baptist Church
parking lot, the car show
will take place. Registra
tion will run from 9:00
a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Judg
ing for the show will begin
at 11:00 a.m. Awards will
be presented at 2:00 p.m.
It is $25 to enter your
vehicle into the car show.
they made a decision based
on that. Trooper Manning
went on the stand when
requested, and was able
to answer questions like
all of the other witnesses.
The matter was solved and
no further charges will be
sought against Trooper
Manning.”
Trophies awarded: Best
Survivor, Best Hot Rod,
Best 87-back Truck, Best
88-present Truck, Best Pre
1950 Car, Best 1951-1972
Car, Best 1973-2000 Car,
Best 2000-present Car,
Best Motorcycle, Best of
Show, Top 20, and Mayor’s
Choice.
For more information
on the cruise in contact Jay
Hutcheson at 912-245-
0174. For more informa
tion on the car show con
tact Cody Williamson at
912-585-7916.
SQUEALIN' CAR SHOW -- The 2021 Squealin' Car Show featured several classic cars, but
this year is the largest car show yet! Because of this large amount of participation, the
car show will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 8, at the First Baptist
Church in Lyons.
Real Squeal Car Show & Cruise In
FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK
Home Loans • Auto Loans Consumer Loans • Mortgages Checking Accounts
Savings Accounts • Safe Deposits • Drive-In Service • ATM & Debit Cards
24 Hour Banking: 537-4540
www.vidfedonline.com
Member
FDIC
Financial Strength in a Growing Community
Welcome to the 2022
Real Squeal Festival!
The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival
Welcome
The Real Squeal BBQ & Music Festival
[October j
We invite everyone
to come and join.us
at this wonderful
community event!
IBER
►PTIC
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
2401 Aimwell Road • Vidalia, GA
912-537-6472