A suspended Glynn County lieutenant, his estranged wife, Katie Kettles Sasser, and her boyfriend, John Hall Jr., are dead after being shot in McIntosh, Georgia Thursday night.
Just after 9 p.m., McIntosh police responded to a call of shots fired at 1316 Mission Drive SE in Darien, Ga. When police arrived, suspended Glynn County Lt. Robert Corey Sasser gave a "decoy story" to the responding officers before speeding off, authorities said at a news conference Friday morning in Glynn County.
Sasser exchanged gunfire with John Hall Jr., the resident of the McIntosh County home. Hall was there with Sasser's estranged wife, Katie Kettles Sasser. They were found shot to death.
Officers say they followed Sasser to his Glynn County home on Hunters Drive in a low-speed chase. SWAT was deployed to the scene and attempted to get Sasser to come out of his vehicle using CS gas. When they finally reached him, Sasser was dead, police said adding that they did not fire any shots into his vehicle.
“Professionally, it’s always difficult to investigate a case like this whether they work for the police department or not. We are not allowed to let our personal feelings involved," said Glynn County police Chief John Power
Last month, Sasser was arrested after showing up at Katie Kettles Sasser's home, threatening her life and the life of her boyfriend, identified as Hall.
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Court documents obtained by First Coast News show Sasser was arrested for simple battery and criminal trespassing for the incident. His bond was set to $4,000 with Sasser having to complete an evaluation and treatment for anger management, and attend psychiatric counseling weekly.
All of his weapons were to remain secured in a safe and his service weapons were to be returned to the Glynn County Police. But according to court documents, he violated the conditions of his bond just days later in an incident involving Georgia State Patrol SWAT.
His bond was reset with added charges at $5,000. This time, he was ordered to seek treatment for PTSD with the VA and surrender all guns and weapons to a third party. He was also ordered to leave Glynn County and live with his sister in Alabama, only able to return for court dates.
Kathy Pierce, a neighbor, says she knew Sasser and his wife's marriage were problematic and that Sasser was seeking treatment.
"I was shocked, I was hurt, we had been talking to Katie, you know about their marriage and stuff, trying to work on things, helping them," she said. "My heart is broken because it is three lives that have been lost, but it could've been avoided."
Another neighbor, Harley Rich, expressed concerns about Sasser's children.
"He ain't going to understand anything," he said. "It's going to take a lot of good family members, some good people around him to get on with life and it's going to take a lot and I'm willing to help him."
First Coast News reached out to the Glynn County Police Department for comment, but we have not heard back.