Thomasville man at center of massive manhunt, sentenced in deputy shooting

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WCTV) - A Thomas County man accused of shooting two deputies earlier this year and prompting a six-day manhunt was sentenced Friday.

Tyler Henderson stood in a Thomas County courtroom Friday afternoon as the judge announced he’ll spend the next 50 years in prison and another 35 on probation.

It happened in the small town of Ochlocknee, Georgia, in January 2022 when three deputies tried to arrest Henderson on a parole violation. TCSO says Henderson got ahold of one of the deputy’s guns and started firing. Henderson shot two of the deputies and narrowly missed the third. Both injured deputies survived.

The six-day manhunt that followed brought a flood of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers to Thomas County. At one point, there were 75 officers searching for Henderson.

Henderson faced nine felony charges including three counts of aggravated assault, one for each of the deputies.

WCTV’s Staci Inez was in court for Henderson’s sentencing Friday. She’ll have an update on Eyewitness News at 6.