GBI assisting Richmond Hill police with 2 death investigations

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) - [UPDATE AT 5:27 P.M.] The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they were investigating the deaths of Mykyle Augustus Barton, age 37, and Lawrence Zion Pritchard, age 33, both of Richmond Hill.

Their investigation was at the request of the Richmond Hill Police Department (RHPD).

Preliminary information indicates that at about 12:14 a.m., on October 17, 2026, Bryan County 911 received a shots-fired call at a home in the 100 block of Golden Grove Lane in Richmond Hill. RHPD officers arrived on scene and discovered a man, later identified as Barton, with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. Barton was pronounced dead at the scene.

A resident of the home told officers that a man, later identified as Pritchard, had shot Barton. Officers located Pritchard near the home, but he drove away in an SUV.

Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the SUV, but Pritchard refused to stop, initiating a pursuit. During the pursuit, officers attempted multiple Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers but were unsuccessful. Pritchard eventually drove into a parking lot in the 12000 block of Georgia Hwy. 144, where he stopped the SUV.

Officers then discovered Pritchard in the SUV with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Pritchard was pronounced dead at the scene.

The bodies of Barton and Pritchard will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be conducted.

This case is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Statesboro at 912-871-1121. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be given to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

[ORIGINAL STORY] The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been requested by the Richmond Hill Police Department to assist with two death investigations.

The case is active and ongoing. No additional information is available for release at this time.

Stick with WTOC for updates.