A Dallas man is dead after a Cobb County police officer used a Taser on him during a response to a hit-and-run call Tuesday evening. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has now taken over the case.
What’s Happening: State agents are investigating the death of 47-year-old Timothy Lyle Sheats. The deadly tasing happened after a Cobb County officer responded to a traffic accident around 6:10 p.m. on October 21.
What’s Important: According to the GBI, the officer found Sheats walking in the road. Sheats told the officer he had been shot, but the officer reported seeing no visible injuries.
The Police Account: The GBI says Sheats refused to get into a patrol car for safety and began walking into traffic, at one point trying to enter another car. The officer says he used a Taser to gain control of Sheats.
What Happens Next: Sheats became unresponsive after he was secured by officers and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The GBI will give its findings to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for review once the investigation is complete.
The Sources: Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
