Columbia County cop killer was ordered to turn over his guns, records show

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - News 12 has learned that the man who killed one deputy and injured another was facing a judge’s order to turn over all weapons.

The order, signed Thursday by a judge, said he was supposed to give his weapons to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

Instead, he opened fire on deputies with one of those guns – one that had been altered to operate on full automatic.

James Blake Montgomery had raised concerns from authorities who thought he was altering guns to operate in fully automatic mode and was making pipe bombs.

After Columbia County deputies stopped him around 6:24 p.m. Saturday in an RV on Interstate 20 to serve him with a protective order – presumably the one signed Thursday – he opened fire on them.

One deputy, Brandon Sikes, was killed, while another, Gavin White, was injured.

Other deputies fired back, and that’s how Sheriff Clay Whittle believes Montgomery died.

His body was found hours later – as were a variety of bombs and explosive paraphernalia in the RV.

On Sunday afternoon, Whittle said that when officers approached Montgomery, he was compliant initially.

However, when two of the deputies turned away, Montgomery fired a 9mm AR pistol that had been converted to fully automatic at the three deputies on the scene.

Sikes was struck and killed at the scene.

White was struck in the face and is in critical condition and has use of his extremities. He is currently in surgery at Wellstar MCG hospital.

Whittle said White has a long recovery ahead of him, but is “very upbeat and incredibly strong.”

Deputy Andrew Brown was able to retrieve his gun and, along with Deputy Jared Mason, fired back at the RV.

“They both engaged the shooter themselves, but I think they are the ones who brought this to an end,” said Whittle.

Amid the firing from Montgomery, Brown dragged White to a patrol car and drove him to Doctors Hospital. Doctors said Brown’s actions probably saved White’s life.

During the incident, Montgomery tried to drive the RV away, but veered into the cable barriers on the left side of the highway, bringing it to a stop.

Montgomery was found dead in the RV hours later.

After Montgomery was found dead, a robot and drones identified possible pipe bombs and possible drug paraphernalia in the RV. One of the bombs was rigged with a remote switch.

Investigators found four propane containers underneath the RV.

Whittle revealed Montgomery was part of an illegal steroid operation. It’s unclear what his intentions were.

The incident is being investigated by the Regional Force Investigation Team, which includes Columbia, Burke and Richmond counties.

Sikes had been a deputy since 2018 on the crime suppression team. Sikes’s wife, Amber, is also an employee of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Sikes’s autopsy will be Monday.

Montgomery’s body is being transported to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy at a later date.

What happened Saturday evening?

“I was just outside, you know, sitting outside, and all of a sudden I just heard, sounded like some fire popper – pop-pop-pop-pop,” one witness said.

“Then about two or three minutes later, I heard sirens and come to find out ... They were having a shoot-out right here on I-20. ... Yeah, officer. They said deputy been killed.”

After the shooting, authorities say Montgomery retreated inside the RV – which authorities feared might be full of explosives.

Late Saturday after hours of surrounding the RV and blowing open the door to send in a robot, deputies said he was no longer a threat.

With the RV on the side of I-20, the highway remained closed overnight, but it reopened before dawn Sunday.

Even before the confrontation, Montgomery had drawn the attention of authorities.

A “be on the lookout” alert had been issued to law enforcement, saying he was suspected of making pipe bombs and converting weapons to be fully automatic.

He’d been working odd jobs like landscaping and tree removal while living in the RV at a state park, News 12 learned.

He’d had run-ins with the law in the past.

Court records show a charge of aggravated assault was filed on May 5, 2022.

He took first offender status and the case was disposed on Dec. 16, 2024. He was exonerated and there was no criminal conviction.

More recently, Montgomery and his wife had been estranged/living apart for several months, maybe a year, a person close to the family told News 12. He had one child and she had children from a previous marriage, News 12 was told.

How it unfolded

Some witnesses heard the gunfire that was followed by a flood of law enforcement and the shutdown of I-20 and Belair Road.

“I heard three gunshots, and people yelling,” said an employee at the Cracker Barrel just south of I-20 where Belair becomes Jimmie Dyess Parkway.

Then the officers started swarming in.

“After that, that’s when I started seeing sheriffs from Burke County and all that,” she said.

One employee at the Popeyes on Belair said she saw “the officers flying up the road,” then “next thing you know, they sealed the road off.”

Before she knew it, the restaurant – which moments before had been in a rush – was empty and Belair was closed.

Soon after the shooting happened, law enforcement vehicles were zooming down Gordon Highway and I-520 toward I-20 – and they were from all varieties of agencies, from local law enforcement to the Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Officers were keeping traffic from getting on westbound I-20 from I-520, and they weren’t even letting vehicles get onto Bobby Jones Expressway toward Washington Road, a busy corridor.

Belair Road had reopened by 9:35 p.m., but the entire area was very active with law enforcement, and I-20 was to remain closed for several more hours.

Late Saturday into Sunday morning, the RV was the focus of law enforcement alongside I-20, which was devoid of traffic except for police cars with flashing blue lights.

Authorities had surrounded the RV, with a helicopter and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office drones in the air.

Late into the night, authorities were using explosives to try to get in safely.

Around 10:15 p.m., deputies backed away from the RV and a puff of gray smoke billowed away. That happened again around 10:40 p.m., and then twice more.

The situation remained tense until about 1 a.m., when officers entered the RV, with flashlight beams visible through the windows.

PHOTO GALLERY: DEPUTIES SHOT IN COLUMBIA COUNTY

That’s when authorities stated for a second time that Montgomery was “no longer a threat.” Some law enforcement sources privately told News 12 Montgomery was thought to be dead inside the RV, but there was no official confirmation of that.

Around 4:30 a.m. Sunday, law enforcement had left the scene and I-20 reopened.

There was little activity at the site after daybreak Sunday.

But by late morning, three women were at the scene, apparently looking through the grass for something and placing objects in a bag or bucket. They didn’t appear to be with law enforcement.

Around 12:15 p.m. Sunday, multiple deputies were back at the scene in the median of 1-20.

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