Monday, December 26, 2023–1:00 p.m.
-WZQZ Radio-
Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader and Summerville Police Chief Harold Tucker released the following statement regarding an officer-involved shooting in which a murder suspect was shot and killed by law enforcement officers on Christmas Eve on Highland Avenue in Summerville:
On Christmas Eve the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Johnson Cemetery Rd in the Chattoogaville area where a body had been found off of the roadway. The initial investigation, which was conducted by Chattooga County Sheriff’s Investigators and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agents, resulted in the deceased being identified as 50-year-old Sherrie Leigh Little of a Fourth Street address in Summerville.
The investigation then moved to Ms. Little’s residence where Summerville Police Investigators joined with Sheriff’s Investigators and GBI Special Agents in searching Ms. Little’s residence Fourth Street address. This search revealed additional evidence that indicated that Ms. Little was killed at her residence and her body taken to Johnson Cemetery Road where she was dumped a short distance off of the roadway.
By the end of the day, law enforcement had sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for 44-year-old John Wayne Siffles for the murder of Sherrie Little. Law enforcement also received information that Siffles was hiding out at a residence on Highland Avenue, several blocks away from the murder scene.
After obtaining a search warrant to enter the Highland Ave residence to serve the murder warrant, multiple law enforcement agents from the Summerville Police Department, Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, Lookout Mountain Drug Task Force, and a Special Agent from the GBI traveled to the residence to attempt to take Siffles into custody. In the attempt to capture Siffles several less-than-lethal measures, including OC Spray and Tasers, were deployed after Siffles refused to surrender. These less-than-lethal measures were ineffective.
The preliminary investigation indicates that following this that Siffles presented a knife with the intent to assault the officers and he was then shot by law enforcement agents. Siffles was transported to Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Multiple Special Agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation responded to investigate the officer-involved shooting.