Davy Deonte Royal, 35, of Tifton, the suspect accused of shooting two Tifton police officers last Friday, has reportedly taken his own life in the Coffee County Jail. After being taken into custody on Friday, Royal was transferred to the Coffee County Jail where he was being held for Tift County.
Around midnight Monday, a call came in that an individual was unresponsive in the jail. The inmate, Royal, was transported to Coffee Regional Medical Center where medical personnel performed life-saving procedures but were unsuccessful.
Royal had been charged with five counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and two counts of criminal attempt to commit murder after he allegedly shot two Tifton police officers.
According to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, preliminary information indicated that at about 10:50 a.m. on December 5, 2025, Tifton Police Department officers attempted to serve a search warrant at Royal’s home in the 800 block of Lee Avenue in Tifton with the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Operations Unit. Officers approached the home. They knocked on the door and announced their presence. Royal shot at them, and the officers returned fire. Two Tifton police investigators, identified as Michael Gaskins and Jerry Fulford, were shot during the incident. Both survived and are recovering. Royal barricaded himself inside the home. He surrendered hours later and was taken into custody without incident.
