Two correctional officers were shot dead in Georgia after inmates Donnie Russell Rowe and Ricky Dubose hijacked the prison bus.
Rowe, 43, and Ricky Dubose, 24, hijacked the prison bus on Highway 16 near Eatonton, Georgia on Tuesday, June 133 while they were on work duty.
The two inmates disarmed the guards, with one of the two suspects fatally shooting Baldwin State Prison officers Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue. Monica was hired in October 2009 and Billue was hired in July 2007.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred around 5:45 AM on Tuesday morning after the inmates took over the bus and overpowered the officers. One suspect shot both guards before the two carjacked a 2004 Honda Civic and escaped.
via WMAZ:
The incident happened on Hwy 16 West of Sparta near Eatonton around 5:45 AM. A local resident was driving along Hwy. 16 when he saw the stopped bus and mistakenly thought the stopped bus was part of a work detail. When he stopped his car, the inmates robbed him at gunpoint. The driver was unharmed and flagged down the next car for help.
His car is described as a grass green 2004 Honda Civic 4 door with GA license plate RBJ660 and are believed to be traveling in it. We have to find that vehicle,” Sheriff Sills said. He said the GBI, FBI, and various other agencies are closely tracking any stolen vehicles statewide.
The suspects are now armed with the officers’ .40 caliber pistols, according to police.
The US Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are involved along with several other agencies.
Rowe, who is described as being 6’1′ and 181 pounds, was in prison on charges of an armed robbery, with a maximum release date of life without parole. He was also convicted of aggravated assault and possession of firearms.
Dubose, who is 6’1′ and 140 pounds, was also convicted of a separate armed robbery, as well as fraud, theft by taking, trespassing, fleeing/eluding police and aggravated assault.
According to the Spalding County Sherrif’s Office Facebook page, the suspects were seen headed toward Spalding County.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills had a message for Rowe and Ribose saying “I would suggest you surrender before we find you.”
