Jackson County sheriff's personnel escort alleged shooter Michael Miller to a patrol car for transport to the sheriff's office for questioning.

Wednesday shooting in Nicholson being probed

Posted by
Mark Beardsley
Thursday, May 7. 2009
Comments (36)
A dispute turned violent Wednesday evening in Nicholson.

Ricky Beatty Jr., 26, of Jefferson, was life-flighted in critical condition to Grady Memorial Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and underwent emergency surgery Wednesday night. The shooting took place at around 5 p.m. at a 8353 Jefferson Road residence, about an eighth of a mile west of U.S. 441. A Ten Commandments sign stood in the front yard.

Jackson County Sheriff's Office Major David Cochran identified the alleged shooter as Michael Grady Miller, 62 of Nicholson.

"It appears there was a domestic dispute," said Cochran, who added that the shooting took place on the front porch of the gray, vinyl-sided house.

Cochran said the victim, and a female, were at Miller's residence when a dispute broke out. The victim was quickly removed from the front yard of the residence. After a brief standoff, Miller, who was also reportedly injured in the incident, turned himself over to officers at the scene. Miller is being charged with aggravated assault and is being held in the Jackson County jail.
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#1 Michael McCarthy on 05/07/09 at 08:06 AM [Reply]
The moral of the story: Take down your ten commandments sign before trying to murder someone in your front yard.
#2 Tony Chatham on 05/07/09 at 01:26 PM [Reply]
Maybe you need to read Matthew Chapter 7: Judge not that ye not be judged! Who said it was attempted murder? Do you already know all the details of this story or some that the rest of us don't? To the best of my knowledge you have the right to defend yourself in your own yard - which could also be the case. Why are people so quick to pass judgment in the first place?

A famous man also once said: "Ye who are without sin cast the first stone!" In case you don't know that was Jesus!

I have no idea what went on but do know the family that owns the residence and it's not fair to pass judgment until all the details come out!!!
#3 Anonymous on 05/07/09 at 05:32 PM [Reply]
What is sickening to me is that people write things to make themselves look all righteous and smart when they have absolutely NO clue what the truth is. Could it be that Mr. Miller's wife who passed away suddenly in December had put that sign out there? Could it be that he was defending himself? Unbelievable...truly unbelievable! Write what you want, say what you want~as long as YOU come out looking good what does it matter, right??
#4 Concerned on 05/07/09 at 09:16 PM [Reply]
The moral of the story: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." The question for McCarthy: "What would you do, as a senior citizen confined to a wheelchair, cast on your leg, past heart trouble, when confronted and threatened by a much younger and obviously stronger man who refused to back off?" Oh, I know, tell him to hold on just a second while you call someone to push you to the top of your driveway to remove the ten commandments sign. Just be aware that you should put your trust in the Lord, certainly NOT the mainstreet news. See? This is why so many of us in Jackson County REFUSE to pay for the paper. We have learned that they simply care to entice someone into buying a paper (thus make money); they care nothing about taking the time to actually find and print facts.
#5 None ya on 05/08/09 at 05:34 AM [Reply]
No that's not the moral of the story!! This guy lost his very loving wife and mother to his children in Decemeber to a sudden heart attack and she is the one who put the sign in the yard and he and his family has been suffering for a loss, but when no one knows the whole story it's easy to run your mouth!
#6 Jen on 05/08/09 at 05:50 AM [Reply]
Listen, you don't know the whole story. This guy was in a wheelchair and was being attacked by this young man. Would you not try to defend yourself? I hear the victim is from a very bad enviroment. He probably reacted in fear for his life.
#7 Susan on 05/08/09 at 06:05 AM [Reply]
I heard that this guy lost his wife of 40+ years Christmas day due to a heart attack. We shouldn't be quick to judge. We don't know what he is going through in his life right now. Besides, I heard the victim came to his house harrassing and attacking him.
#8 Barry on 05/08/09 at 06:25 AM [Reply]
A reminder never hurts. The sign should have been more visable.
#9 Anonymous on 05/08/09 at 06:45 AM [Reply]
Before you pass judgment on someone...know ALL the facts. Remember...."Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:36-38
#10 Michael McCarthy on 05/08/09 at 01:21 PM [Reply]
I was simply being a bit sarcastic that the article would even mention the fact this sign existed. I didn't mean it literally silly man. You actually believed I thought he should do this? LOL!!!!!!!!!
#11 Michael McCarthy on 05/08/09 at 01:25 PM [Reply]
I could care less about the story. I was simply pointing out the absurdity of mentioning the sign in the story. But I know this is serious business to some and now I know why it's in the story. You crack me up!!!
#12 Michael McCarthy on 05/08/09 at 01:31 PM [Reply]
I only have one more thing to add. I will never have a sign like that unless my gun is not loaded just in case my wife has a heart attack and some poor guy gets shot in my driveway, in my sorrow.

I can't believe what I've read here.
#13 None YA on 05/08/09 at 02:29 PM [Reply]
I just want to say thank you to the ones who are defending Mr Miller. he is having a very difficult time and so is the rest of the family. Mr Barry it has nothing to do with the sign in the yard it has to do with doing what you have to do to defend your self and until your in the postion he was in you can't say what you would do either!! I am family to them and I can say don't go there it's not your call or ours to make!
#14 Anonymous on 05/08/09 at 05:30 PM [Reply]
Someone once said to me "how much farther can a man run that to his home" ...What else can you do when attacked on your front porch? I would have done the same thing if I was in the same position. I'm still an American.
#15 asl on 05/08/09 at 06:46 PM [Reply]
What part of SOMEONE was shot don't you people understand??? it doesn't have anything to do with the ten commandments sign in the yard..no one knows what happened that day except the two men...so get off your soap boxes and deal with the facts..stop dragging the church into everything and blaming GOD. he can't be with every STUPID person all the time..people are not perfect they make mistakes and deal with that everyday..if you are a christian or not...
#16 Anonymous on 05/08/09 at 09:40 PM [Reply]
First of all...the talk about the 10 commandments was started with the writer of the column. OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF PEOPLE AGREE THAT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SITUATION...TELL THE WRITER THAT!! Secondly...no one said anything about the 'church'...and no one had blamed God as far as I've read. The problem with dealing with the facts is that they are never presented correctly. And you are wrong...God is everywhere at all times and HE knows what happened on that porch.
#17 concerned on 05/08/09 at 09:57 PM [Reply]
Apparently, your reading comprehension lacks! The sign has nothing at all to do with the fact that Mr. Miller was defending himself. Umm, who said anything about a driveway? The man boldly intruded up onto Mr. Miller's property and porch. May God have mercy upon you if you are ever in the same situation.
#18 anon on 05/08/09 at 10:05 PM [Reply]
Yes, actually God can be with all people all the time; even the stupid ones! He is God, you know. Check it out. Read and study your Bible.
#19 Anonymous on 05/08/09 at 10:53 PM [Reply]
Obviously you have no compassion and are just looking to get a rise here. I feel sorry for the Miller family and for the family of the guy that got shot, but things do happen and God has given each of us free will.

All I do know is that the man that owns the house shot the one who didn't. Maybe wrong place wrong time???

Heck Michael maybe you need to go over and try to take the sign down??? ;-)

Oh yeah that's a less than humorous joke just like the one you made that started this all. :-0

On a more serious note the fact that a sign was there had ABSOLUTELY no bearing on what happened. It just was bad taste to throw it in there in the article to start with and bad taste for someone to make a comment about it whether in sarcasm or not when many people are suffering over the incident at hand!!!!
#20 Concerned on 05/08/09 at 10:58 PM [Reply]
No. I was simply being a bit sarcastic about your "moral." Do YOU actually believe that I believe that you thought he should do this? I thought that you (and others) might need to understand more about what actually happened before you made your mind up one way or another. Thank you for explaining where you were coming from in your first comment. (However, your 1.1.1 comment was very ruthless!) We should all encourage Mark Beardsley and the mainstreet news to put more time and effort into the stories that they print. Obviously, Mr. Beardsley's objective must have been to sensationalize the story and to increase sales; not to necessarily report facts or the truth. You are so right, WHERE DID the comment about the sign fit into the story at all? I can't help but wonder if, had one of Mr. Beardsley's family members been involved in such an incident, he would have made sure that the truth was told..........or better yet, as in some other events to occur around Nicholson of late, kept out of the paper all together. All of you Nicholson folks know exactly what I'm talking about! I guess this is a good reminder to me and everyone to not pass judgement, particularly when we are relying on the reports of others. Please remember Mr. Miller, Mr. Beatty, and their families in your prayers!
#21 Smarty Pants on 05/08/09 at 11:00 PM [Reply]
Even drug dealers believe in God!
#22 Michael McCarthy on 05/11/09 at 10:13 AM [Reply]
God even loves Smarty Pants! Imagine that!
#23 Michael McCarthy on 05/11/09 at 10:20 AM [Reply]
I'm speechless.
#24 Michael McCarthy on 05/11/09 at 10:25 AM [Reply]
Who should I have compassion on? It's not clear to me. The man who attacked his friend or the man arrested for shooting his friend? This is all very silly to the casual onlooker, which I am because I know neither party. From where I stand it looks like a silly argument turned violent. Compassion is not in order. Amazed? Perplexed? Stupidity affects me this way. But mentioning the sign in the article is FUNNY!
#25 anon on 05/11/09 at 11:40 PM [Reply]
This whole incident has gotten out of hand because a reporter decided to mention a sign with the 10 commandments on it. Almost as an after thought. Was this done deliberately to get a rise out of the readers? Well, apparently it worked. It seems the sign has become an issue in itself and has erupted into a major dispute among some citizens of the county. The sign is petty and of no importance to what has happened. The real issue should be having the right to protect yourself when an aggressive person threatens to do you bodily harm on your home turf. The courts are the ones that must deal with this incident, but you must decide what is most important here. The sign with the 10 commandments or the right to protect oneself.
#26 Michael McCarthy on 05/12/09 at 01:44 PM [Reply]
There would not have been an arrest if it was a clear case of self-defense although it very well may have been and in the end it will be settled by a judge or jury.

One does not have the right to shoot another in anger though. Arguments should be settled verbally or not at all. Domestic violence laws are so strict now that even throwing an object in a room, not occupied by the victim can be construed to be simple assault.
#27 fed up on 05/13/09 at 07:04 AM [Reply]
You obviously do not have a life or you would have let this go by now. Let it go man!!!! Let the court system decide. You've ran your mouth enough. You are so disrespectful to the family of all concerned. People can not control what others do and you continuing to go on and on about it is not helping these families!! For your information, a person has to be charged for something in this type situation until it goes to the court system. That's how the law works.
#28 Family on 05/13/09 at 08:06 PM [Reply]
Michael McCarthy WHO ARE YOU? Do you even know any of the people involved? Do you know how STUPID you sound. You obviously don't know your bible, your law, or any of the facts in this case. Why don't you check out GA LAW code 16-3-21.1... and then SHUT UP!!!! I am a Christian and I believe it goes Thou shall not kill. It says nothing about SELF DEFENSE from a DOPE HEAD.
#29 Michael McCarthy on 05/13/09 at 09:05 PM [Reply]
This is a public blog but thanks for the wealth of information.

Are you ashamed of your real name?
#30 Dave Fan on 05/13/09 at 09:38 PM [Reply]
Mccarthy likes to see his name on the internet somewhere besides the "criminal arrest" page.
#31 Michael McCarthy on 05/14/09 at 08:11 AM [Reply]
Dave Fan fears using his own name.
#32 correction on 05/14/09 at 10:05 PM [Reply]
fed up,
You are dead wrong about how the law works. No one has to be charged in a case like this. Not only can the police choose not to take warrants if it is clear cut case of self defense, but they can leave it to the DA's office to present to the grand jury and they (the grand jury through a “true bill”) will decide if he is charged. The only way the police can charge is if they have probable cause to believe a specific crime has been committed. It’s not like they just put him in jail and let the courts decide what law he broke. He had to be charged with a specific crime in order to go to jail, unless he is on an investigative hold which the paper didn’t mention. Under Georgia law self-defense is a justification for breaking laws, i.e. battery or even homicide, and if the evidence shows a clear cut case of self-defense no one is charged, criminally, period... civil law suites are another ball of wax. THAT'S how the law really works.
Michael, I agree with most of what you write. You are obviously a very intelligent man and I think most of these people who commented against you have totally missed the point you were trying to make. In fact I would go so far as to say they would agree with you if they weren't so caught up in attacking you. If I may, I believe you were trying to make the point, why the red herring (the sign) when the incident itself was newsworthy enough?
#33 Judy on 05/15/09 at 02:14 PM [Reply]
I know for a fact you can't beleive what the paper said about the shooting this week. This guy was not shot in the head, back and chest. It was in the stomach/side area. That's why so many people do not buy the paper because they can't trust the stories. I'm a friend of one of the families and I never get on here, but am doing it because it stinks that the families suffer for the pack of lies that float around. Even though the families can't stop the actions of grown family members, they pay for the actions. It stinks that fellow citizens want to run them through the mud and add to their hurt back making things worse. It's in GOD's hands and his will is to be done!
#34 confused on 05/15/09 at 05:20 PM [Reply]
The reason, the only reason, why the sign was mentioned was due to the person writing the story. He is obviously very biased against Christianity and the conservative right. His, as is most of the media in our country, beliefs are totally to the far left and any occasion to poke fun or criticism against the religious right just makes his day. Go ahead Mr. Editor, you may have your fun now, but one day someone else will have the last laugh.
#35 fedup on 05/15/09 at 05:55 PM [Reply]
again, i just want people to know that this comment was not approved by the genuine article...read my past submissions -- they're literate...
#36 Michael McCarthy on 05/16/09 at 12:32 PM [Reply]
I think the columnist was pointing out the naked hypocrisy and absurdity of having a sign like that prominently posted at the scene of an alleged aggravated assault.

If you think about it, it is humorous. I am sorry the innocents are suffering. People's bad behavior affects everyone in the community. It's not the newspaper's fault for printing the news. Nor is it our fault for commenting on the news.

I myself have caused my family embarrassment. My name has been in the paper too. All we can do is try to pick ourselves up and improve with time, just like a fine wine. Only with a person, instead of a wine cellar, it is the Jackson County Jail. (They have a lot in common) I share this with you so you can know I empathize as well as enjoy the news discussion. Many families suffer like this.

Maybe next time we'll all consider the hurt our behavior causes others and stop and think.
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