A dispute over the removal of a mobile home in Broxton, Georgia, on January 3, 2000, ended in an ambush that killed two officers. Patrol Officer James Clinton Bryant, 35, was assisting a property owner with evicting a renter when the renter, identified as 55-year-old Willie Mitchell, ran behind the trailer and then retrieved a concealed deer rifle. Mitchell shot Officer Bryant three times, including once to the head and once to each arm, killing him.

Staff Sergeant Clyde Tub Merritt of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office was killed shortly afterward while providing cover for a Georgia State Patrol trooper trying to reach the fallen officer; he was struck by a shot to the chest. Mitchell was apprehended after officers from several agencies surrounded the property and was charged with multiple offenses, including two counts of malice murder. Officer Bryant had seven years in law enforcement, also worked full time with the Lumber City Police Department, and was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

Did anyone in Broxton or the surrounding counties know Officer Bryant or remember the events of January 3, 2000?