An Eatonton man was found dead following an exchange of gunfire with a Baldwin County sheriff’s deputy Saturday morning, April 18, according to authorities.
Rexell Dallas Rice, 58, of Possum Point Drive, died at the Lake Sinclair home of his ex-wife on Bob White Circle, off Sinclair Marina Road.
Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee told reporters during a press conference early Monday morning that law enforcement found Rice inside the home with one gunshot wound believed to be from the deputy’s weapon and another that appeared to be self-inflicted to the head.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, Massee said.
The deputy, Alex Rickey, was also shot, but buckshot from Rice’s 12-gauge shotgun struck Rickey’s bulletproof vest, likely saving his life. Rickey has been with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office for a couple of years and previously served as a road patrol officer with the Eatonton Police Department, making him well known in the Eatonton-Putnam County area.
During the press conference, both Massee and Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III said they believe Rickey’s quick and professional actions saved the lives of four people inside the Lake Sinclair home.
Massee requested the GBI to investigate the shooting. Mary Chandler, special agent in charge of the GBI Region 6 office in Milledgeville, also addressed reporters.
Barksdale reviewed the case to determine whether any wrongdoing occurred on Rickey’s part or if charges were warranted. He said he examined the deputy’s body camera footage and consulted with the GBI before concluding.
“I’m clearing Alex Rickey of any wrongdoing or alleged wrongdoing,” Barksdale said. “This is a clean shoot.”
Barksdale described footage showing Rickey exiting his vehicle in front of the residence, where Rice stood in the doorway armed with multiple firearms. Rickey ordered him to drop the weapons, but Rice instead fired multiple shots, striking the deputy once. Rickey then returned fire.
The encounter marked the second time that morning Rickey had responded to the Bob White Circle residence following a 911 domestic call. Rice had been there earlier but left before deputies arrived.
When Rice returned, his ex-wife and three other women who were outside fled into the home, locked themselves in a bedroom, and called 911 again. Authorities said Rice fired his weapon in the front yard and shot his way through the locked front door. Rickey arrived moments later, at which point Rice turned his attention—and his weapon—toward the deputy.
Chandler said Rice did not have time to reach the four women inside the bedroom because of Rickey’s quick response.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Rice had been living in a rental home on Possum Point Drive off Pea Ridge Road.
“We’ve never had any problems from him,” Sills said. “I didn’t even know who he was and had to look him up. The only thing in his record is a speeding ticket in 2021, which he paid. But we’ve never had any calls related to him.”