Man dies after walking out of house fire, getting into shootout with deputies, sheriff says

PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. — A man is dead after officials say he walked out of a house fire and got into a shootout with Pickens County deputies.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified the man as 65-year-old Frank Jerry Millsapps.

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Pickens County Sheriff Donny Craig told Channel 2 Action News that his office received a call around midnight about a house fire on Jay Moss Lane. The caller also said that gunfire was also coming from the home.

When deputies arrived, they say Millsapps walked onto his front yard and started shooting at deputies. Deputies then fired back, shooting and killing him. The man was pronounced dead on the scene.

Investigators later learned that Millsapps shot at one of his neighbors before deputies arrived.

Channel 2′s Veronica Griffin learned that Millsapps also fired his gun at a neighbor before deputies arrived. That deputy was not injured.

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NewsChopper 2 flew over what was left of the property Wednesday morning. Some of the area was still smoldering from the fire.

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims spoke to a neighbor who says it was out of character for Millsapps to do something like that.

“He was a great guy, in my opinion, a gentle giant and would do anything for you. He was a good friend of all of ours here in the neighborhood,” Dennis Miller said.

The GBI is continuing their investigation.

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