Autopsies and a state investigation are expected to help clarify a shooting and police pursuit that left two Richmond Hill men dead.
RICHMOND HILL, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is examining the deaths of two Richmond Hill men after a fatal shooting at a home was followed by a police pursuit that ended along Georgia Highway 144.
The state investigation centers on the deaths of Mykyle Augustus Barton, 37, and Lawrence Zion Pritchard, 33. The GBI was called in at the request of the Richmond Hill Police Department after officers responded to a shots-fired report shortly after midnight Oct. 17. The agency said the investigation is active, with autopsies planned and the completed case eventually set for review by the Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Bryan County 911 received the initial call at about 12:14 a.m. from a home in the 100 block of Golden Grove Lane, according to investigators. Officers found Barton there with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A resident at the home told officers that Pritchard had shot Barton, the GBI said. That account is part of the agency’s preliminary investigation. Authorities have not announced a motive, described what may have happened before the shooting or released information establishing the nature of the relationship between the two men.
Officers later located Pritchard near the home, but investigators said he drove away in an SUV when police attempted a traffic stop. A pursuit followed. Police made several unsuccessful attempts to stop the SUV using Precision Immobilization Technique maneuvers, according to the GBI.
Pritchard eventually drove into a parking lot in the 12000 block of Georgia Highway 144 and stopped, investigators said. Officers found him inside the SUV with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at that location. The GBI has characterized the finding as apparent while its investigation and the medical examination process continue.
The Richmond Hill Police Department initially sought state assistance as authorities dealt with two death scenes connected by the pursuit. Local reports early Saturday described police activity near the residential area and at a separate location along Highway 144 before the GBI released the names of the men and a preliminary timeline.
The GBI said both bodies were to be taken to its Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies. Autopsy findings can assist investigators in determining the cause and manner of death, but the agency had not announced final findings for either man in its initial release.
The agency also has not reported that any other person was injured or that anyone else is being sought in connection with the deaths. Investigators have not publicly identified a motive or released additional evidence from the home, the SUV or the route of the pursuit.
Once investigators complete the case, the GBI said the file will be provided to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review. The investigation remained active as authorities continued gathering information about the shooting and the events that followed.
Author note: Last updated October 19, 2026.