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.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
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.
