Valdosta Police reported that a bystander shot a man Thursday during a violent domestic dispute inside the Dollar General store located on Bemiss Road. The man who fired the shot has not been charged, according to a Valdosta Police Department press release, while the assailant, Tevin Love, is in stable condition and faces multiple charges.
Love has been charged with felony terroristic threats, felony aggravated assault, simple battery, and simple assault. The incident began when 911 dispatchers received a call reporting a man beating a woman at the store. During the police response, the caller updated dispatchers to report that someone had been shot.
Upon arrival, officers found the 28-year-old shooter standing in the parking lot, and he was detained without resistance. Inside the store, officers located Love, who was being held down by another person. He had sustained a gunshot wound to his torso. Officers immediately provided first aid until South Georgia Health Emergency Medical Services and Valdosta firefighters arrived to transport Love to the hospital for further medical treatment.
The initial victim, identified as Love’s girlfriend, was also present at the scene. She had sustained head injuries and reported to officers that Love had assaulted her. She was transported to the hospital for treatment and was subsequently released.
Detectives launched an investigation into the incident, which revealed that Love’s girlfriend was shopping in the Dollar General with her teenage daughter when Love entered the store. He then began hitting her in the head. As the victim was knocked to the ground, Love continued the assault, according to the VPD release. The victim's teenage daughter attempted to intervene and stop Love from attacking her mother, at which point Love also struck the daughter.
The 28-year-old man who shot Love had been shopping in the store and witnessed the ongoing assault. He drew his gun and attempted to stop Love from continuing to hit the woman. This intervention created a distraction that allowed Love’s girlfriend to escape. Love then rushed toward the man and began to hit him, prompting the man to fire his gun, striking Love in the torso.
Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan praised the citizen’s intervention, stating that he "observed a female getting viciously beaten by the offender, and he took action to stop the physical assault against her, even putting his life in danger." Chief Manahan further noted that the citizen’s quick actions halted the assault, preventing the female from receiving more violent injuries.