Georgia sheriff's deputy charged with murder after man shot, killed, police say

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

A Georgia sheriff's deputy is facing a murder charge after a deadly shooting in Athens, authorities said.

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According to Athens-Clarke County police, Madison County sheriff's Deputy Winford "Trey" Terrell Adams III was arrested early Monday after 26-year-old Benjamin Lloyd Cloer was found with multiple gunshot wounds Sunday evening in the 6000 block of Old Jefferson Road. Cloer was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Police did not say how Adams and Cloer knew each other. An investigation is ongoing.

Adams, 32, "was off-duty and in plain clothes at the time of the incident," police said in a news release. The shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute, according to the release.

In a statement posted on Facebook, officials with the Madison County Sheriff's Office confirmed Adams's arrest.

"It's a sad day for all Law Enforcement officers," deputies said in the statement. "Please, please, say a prayer for the MCSO family and the family of the victim."

Adams joined the Madison County Sheriff's Office in August 2018, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Records. He previously worked for a few days at the Royston Police Department and for four years before that at the Statesboro Police Department, according to the Journal-Constitution. Records obtained by the newspaper showed he voluntarily resigned from both those positions.

Adams was being held Monday morning in Clarke County Jail, according to the Journal-Constitution. The newspaper reported his bond was not immediately determined.

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