The man shot and killed by officers this morning was free on bond pending trial on murder charges.
Terry Ramsey, 41, was shot and killed by Richmond County Sheriff’s deputies during a domestic dispute at a home in the Harrisburg neighborhood this morning. Officers found Mr. Ramsey holding a knife to his wife, Tameka Ramsey, according to the press release. When Mr. Ramsey refused to drop the knife the deputies fired on him, the release states.
Mr. Ramsey was charged with murder for the August 2008 shooting death of Richard Paprocki at Mr. Ramsey’s Gordon Highway home.
Assistant District Attorney Anthony Nicastro said this morning that according to the prosecutor’s file on the case, former Superior Court Judge Duncan Wheale set a $50,000 bond for Mr. Ramsey on the condition he lived with his mother and have no contact with witnesses.
Mr. Ramsey, 41, of the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard, was pronounced dead at the Medical College of Georgia at 4:49 a.m., according to a Richmond County Coroner’s Office press release.
Sheriff Ronnie Strength identified the deputies who fired the shots as Chadwick Plueger and Sylvester Rosier. He said both were veteran officers.
The deputies arrived at the home after the couple’s 14-year-old son called 911 and said his father was trying to stab his mother. When deputies arrived at the home, located at 814 Metcalf Street, they heard screams for help coming from inside. They forced their way into the home and found Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey sitting on the couch. Mr. Ramsey was holding a knife to his wife’s throat. Sheriff Strength said two deputies told him to drop the knife and when he refused, they both fired. Mr. Ramsey was hit by two bullets, one in his chest and one in his side. He said the couple's two children were home during the incident.
“In the house was the 14-year-old son that called us and an 8-year-old daughter,” Sheriff Strength said.
He also said there was an indication Mr. Ramsey had been drinking.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now investigating the incident, which is the sheriff department’s policy during shooting incidents. An autopsy has been scheduled for this morning at the GBI crime lab in Augusta.
PREVIOUS STORY:
CRIMINAL RECORD:
February 2005
Reckless conduct for firing .40-caliber handgun near his wife.
December 2005
Terroristic threats for threatening a sheriff's investigator with a gun
December 2006
DUI Sentencing: One day in jail, 12 months' probation, fined $651 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service and attend a risk-reduction program.
Indictment Dec. 2 2008
Malice murder, felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime
MURDER SUSPECT OUT ON BOND?
Although it's uncommon for someone facing murder charges to be free on bond, in some circumstances judges have set bond.
Attorney Gregory Leopard represented Mr. Ramsey at his August 2008 bond hearing in Richmond County Superior Court. Mr. Ramsey had a very strong case of self-defense, and Mr. Leopard said he was surprised that the prosecutor sought an indictment.
Mr. Ramsey’s account was corroborated by witnesses present at Mr. Ramsey’s Gordon Highway home the night of the fatal shooting, Mr. Leopard said.
Mr. Ramsey, who had just had half his thyroid removed because of cancer, shot in self-defense when Mr. Paprocki charged at him, Mr. Leopard said. Mr. Paqprocki had already hit other people present before he charged at Mr. Ramsey, his attorney said.
Mr. Leopard also represented Mr. Ramsey in a child custody case involving his wife. According to Richmond County Superior Court records, Mr. Ramsey filed for divorce in April 2008 after his wife moved out of their home. He was granted visitation with the couple’s two children.
Mr. Leopard said Mr. Ramsey didn’t press the case because he was dealing with so much between the cancer and the murder charge.
Three years earlier, Mrs. Ramsey had filed for divorce alleging Mr. Ramsey had a history of verbal and physical abuse in front of the their children. The petition noted Mr. Ramsey had been arrested for firing a gun inside their home in February 2005.
In the first divorce petition, the couple was ordered to take part in mediation. The case was dismissed in December 2007.
-- Sandy Hodson
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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More trouble in Harrisburg, but Sherrif Strength has been encouraged that there has been no violent crime.... well....... We have bee complaining for at least three years that things were getting worse. Which candidate running for District 1 will listen to us, and take our Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance cause to heart? Fennoy has embraced the idea totally and is ready to set up a committee to study it, once elected and Aitkin is floundering. He can't seem to get the cobwebs out of his head. If Aitkin wants to get elected, he better pay attention to Harrisburg.
HWR, you said you were meeting with Aitken yesterday... what was his reaction to the proposal?
Que JustUSRacists4's comment to this story. He'll probably assume that the individual shot to death was a minority and this is another example of the good ol boy trigger happy Ronnie Strength bunch.
Is 814 Metcalf St one of the known nuisance places?
LolaJean - A black deputy was involved in the shooting. We might have another Jed situation on our hands.
Another black man falsely accused of a crime!!!!!!!! When is this insanity going to stop????? Where's JUST NUTS4 when we need him????
No, 814 Metcalf is not a nuisance place. I lived there for a couple of years and it is a well maintained home.
Thanks cathie, I guess it was his wife he was threatening based on the WRDW updates.
Does race matter? The issue comes down to a failure to communicate - drop the knife means drop the knife! Blue flashing lights mean S T O P - 99.9% of the time if you listen to the police you will be OK - You might get a ticket or go to jail - but you will live - and so will others around you. I'm sure Justass will make this into a big ol' mountain of racism....but thats his life crutch to limp around the real issues!
It clearly says Domestic violence! What does that have to do with Harrisburg???? Domestic violence is everywhere! Doesn't matter where you live!
Read this dead creep's rap sheet at the end of this story - http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/69837492.html
It does not matter what race or where they live. Domestic violence happens in all neighborhoods and across all races. The Deputies did their job.
Life is about choices. This man, Terry Ramsey, made a choice to put a knife to his wife's throat and threatened her life. He made a choice to ignore the police officer's command to drop that knife. That's two wrong choices too close together. Well, he died because of those choices. There's a lesson to be learned here.
Thanks NowhereManny, its a wonder that he was out on the streets. I'm glad that he is now a goner and can't hurt more people.
the deputies had no choice!! either they take him down or he was going to kill the woman. She was screaming when the deputies got there, and no one came to the door. they had no alternative but to stop the threat. Use of deadly force clearly states..."A person is justified in using deadly force which may harm or kill only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or herself or a third person or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony."
It would be interesting to see if this woman makes a complaint agains the Sherrifs Dept. for killing her husband.
This thug should been in jail to start with. We need judges with a backbone.
$50,000 bond for murder charge? We need judicial changes.
41? Man, he looks 60! Crack is whack!
ANDY, don't be surprised if that happens. DD's are the worst call. You never know what you'll be up against, or the people's reactions, including the "victim." Once, I was on a call with 2 other officers for a DD. The man had beaten the Hell out of his girlfriend and was holding a pistol to her head and threatening to kill her when I got there with 2 other officers. We told him repeatedly to drop the weapon. Finally, he yelled and pointed the gun at me. One of the other officers fired, hitting this spaced out dirtbag in the neck. When he dropped, instead of being relieved, his girlfriend started screaming obscenities and pulled a knife from her back pocket, cutting the officer who had probably saved her worthless life. I coldcocked her with a bat and took her in. The officer got 10 stitches in his arm, the woman was charged, after she accused me of excessive force, and yes, the dirtbag lived. He's probably beating her up again now. Bottom line, until you've served in law enforcement, whatever your race, you can't judge the actions of officers. Makes me glad I'm not in LE anymore. God bless those who do.
People who preempt stupidity with more stupidity are no better than the fool they try to silence. A man was killed because he was threatening his wife with a knife, and refused to put the knife down when ordered by deputies. If you think his race, or the race of the deputies are important enough to change the sadness of this situation, then you need professional help. If you truly feel that race doesn't matter, why waste time prodding the one nut case who probably does into making a comment? It's because you all feel as if you have to be superior, or at least make yourselves feel superior to Justus4. Before he comments, or if he comments at all, you all attack. I'm not defending him, but questioning why you all direct comments to someone who hasn't even posted yet? His comments are crazy, and those who prod him on really want to hear them so they can feel better about their own opinions. It appears that you all really hate it when Justus4 doesn't comment. If that's truly the case, then what does that say about your own intellect?
no she will thank them for being a live today
I'm glad you're not in LE anymore also.
Race has nothing to do with this,... Thank this officer for saving us a ton of taxpayer money convicting and then housing the peice of trash in a prison somewhere.
Judging by the news reports the police in this situation had no alternatives except to do what they did. As for a $50,000 bond for a murder charge, it's no wonder that violence continues - police arrest people and judges put them right back out on the street. In times past there would have been NO bond for a murder suspect and even in this case $50,000 doesn't quite equal the value of the life taken. If the law forces a judge to issue bond, change the law; if a judge is forced to issue a bond set the bond so high that the suspect can't make it, particularly in a murder case. At least in this case there won't be costs to the county for a trial and endless appeals in case of a conviction. Troy Anthony Davis who was convicted over 20 years ago in Chatham County for killing a policeman in view of numerous witnesses is still costing money with his unlimited appeals and witnesses who perjured themselves either during the original trial or currently have done so. The police took care of this particular one on the spot - that's their job, to protect life.
Justus is an alias for one of those regular posters. A lot of them have nothing to do so they post under different names to try to get something started. Retirees need to get a life.
To the Deputies... I'm sorry you had to be put in such a bad situation.
I'm glad you are alright. Thank you for you help.
A simple review of the article gives any reasonable citizen a pause. Who dialed 911? " Officers found Mr. Ramsey holding a knife" which begs a question; how do police "found" a citizen and was the policman's life in danger? Of course, the Constitution doesn't apply in this situation because a African-American man MUST be guilty, so he got what he deserved. And "officers" mean more than one, so how many "officers" fired and how many rounds? Constitutional protections, eh? Free country, eh? Free speech, eh? Great country, uh right? Terry Ramsey didn't experience much of it...
Justus is smarter than any of you give him credit for. He never responds to criticisms or other comments. He only posts once daily no matter what. Do you people really think you can coax him into making a comment now? He is way too smart and way to brilliant.
screw you justus4....i knew it wouldnt be long before you injected your usual cancerous, racist remarks here. Here goes...The dead guys own 14 year old son called 911...they "found" him holding a knife to her throat after screams from inside the house were heard, and they gained entry to the home, and because you are an ignorant fool, you obviously dont understand the actual deadly force law, which states..."A person is justified in using deadly force which may harm or kill only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or herself or a third person or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony."...2 officers responded to the call as protocol calls for, and each fired one round at him both hitting him...Terry Ramsey didnt know how to enjoy all his constitutional protections, because he was a murderous scumbag who didnt value human life or respect "THE LAW"...Kudos to those fine deputies that saved her life!!!!