A verbal dispute in the carport of a residence in the 3800 block of Hogansville Road, Troup County, Georgia, on the late afternoon of June 26, 2024, ended in a fatal shooting. Clayton Bartlett, 51, was found about 5 p.m. with a gunshot wound to the torso; a woman at the scene was attempting to render aid. Deputies say the person who shot Bartlett fled in a truck with a female companion but returned shortly afterward and was taken into custody without further incident.

The man in the initial altercation was identified as 53-year-old Timothy Dewayne Burns. Detectives determined Burns shot Bartlett with a shotgun and charged him with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The woman who fled with him, identified as 56-year-old Cynthia Vayda, was arrested on charges of making false statements and writings and tampering with evidence. The investigation remains ongoing.

If anyone witnessed the confrontation or has information about events in the carport that afternoon, please share what was seen or heard.