Two Richmond Hill Men Dead After Shooting at Home, Police Chase Ends With Apparent Suicide

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. – Two men are dead following a shooting at a Richmond Hill residence early Saturday morning, October 17, 2026, and a subsequent police pursuit that ended when officers discovered the suspected gunman with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The deceased were identified as Mykyle Augustus Barton, 37, and Lawrence Zion Pritchard, 33, both residents of Richmond Hill in Bryan County.

Investigators say Barton was found fatally shot at a home on Golden Grove Lane near Richmond Hill Elementary School. A resident identified Pritchard as the alleged shooter, prompting a search that led to a vehicle pursuit along Georgia Highway 144.

Pritchard was later found dead inside his SUV after stopping in a parking lot.

Police Respond to Shooting on Golden Grove Lane

At approximately 12:14 a.m. on October 17, Bryan County 911 received a report of shots fired at a residence in the 100 block of Golden Grove Lane in Richmond Hill.

Officers with the Richmond Hill Police Department responded to the home and discovered a man suffering from multiple apparent gunshot wounds.

The victim, later identified as Barton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to preliminary information released by the GBI, a resident of the home told responding officers that Pritchard had shot Barton.

Authorities have not disclosed what led to the shooting, whether the two men knew each other or whether an argument occurred before shots were fired.

Suspected Gunman Flees in SUV, Leading Police on Pursuit

Following the shooting, Richmond Hill officers located Pritchard near the residence.

However, when officers attempted to stop him, Pritchard drove away in an SUV.

Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but Pritchard allegedly refused to pull over, initiating a pursuit.

During the chase, officers attempted multiple Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers to stop the fleeing vehicle.

A PIT maneuver is a law enforcement tactic in which an officer uses a patrol vehicle to make controlled contact with a fleeing vehicle, intending to cause it to rotate and stop.

According to the GBI, the attempted maneuvers were unsuccessful.

The agency did not disclose the duration of the pursuit, the speeds involved or whether any patrol vehicles were damaged.

Pritchard Found Dead Inside SUV on Georgia Highway 144

The pursuit eventually reached the 12000 block of Georgia Highway 144.

Pritchard drove into a parking lot and stopped his SUV.

When officers approached the vehicle, they discovered him inside with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Pritchard was pronounced dead at the scene.

The GBI has not disclosed when the apparent self-inflicted gunshot occurred or whether officers heard gunfire before approaching the SUV.

The agency also did not report that officers discharged their weapons during the incident.

GBI Investigating Both Deaths

At the request of the Richmond Hill Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the deaths of Barton and Pritchard.

The bodies of both men were scheduled to be transported to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies. Those examinations will help investigators establish the causes and manners of death.

Although preliminary information identifies Pritchard as the suspected shooter in Barton’s death, the GBI has not released a possible motive or further details about the relationship between the two men.

The investigation remains active and ongoing.