News

Cory Sasser: 10 things to know about Glynn officer dead after standoff

STORY: Suspended Glynn County lieutenant dead after SWAT standoff

Three people are dead in South Georgia after a suspended Glynn County police officer reportedly engaged in a standoff with police.

Robert Sasser, known to everyone as "Cory," was found dead of a gunshot wound to his chest in his truck after a SWAT standoff with police on June 28.

Mcintosh County deputies confirmed Friday that Sasser's estranged wife, Katie Sasser, was dead. Also deceased was Johnny Hall, 39.

Hall was found dead in a driveway at a McIntosh County home. Sasser was found dead the adjacent house.

Court records show Katie Sasser said she was in fear for her safety and their minor child.

Here's what we know about this complex case: 

1. Sasser was one of the officers who shot an unarmed mother in 2010.  The case attracted national attention. 

Caroline Small, a 35-year-old mother of two, was shot while sitting in her car on June 18, 2010.

Small was described as a distraught woman who drove off from a mall at low speed. Two officers chased her, and Small was eventually pinned against a utility pole and surrounded by police cars.

Video showed eight bullets hitting Small's windshield. Small was struck in the head and face.

The two officers who fired the shots -- Sasser and Officer Michael T. Simpson -- were justified in pulling the trigger, a grand jury said.

DASHCAM VIDEO: Mother of two shot while sitting in car in South Georgia 

2. Sasser was never disciplined for the Small shooting. 

The Small family sued, but a judge threw it out. The officers argued that Small could have hurt them with her car.

The officers were criticized for their comments immediately after the shooting.

"She's DOA. I got her right between the eyes," a voice on the dashcam video said.

3. In fact, Sasser was promoted after the shooting despite the national scrutiny on the case.

After being cleared of any wrongdoing, Sasser was promoted to lieutenant. in 2016, he was promoted again to shift command supervisor.

4. Sasser reportedly suffered from PTSD. 

Sasser had been recently ordered to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at a VA hospital.

5. Sasser was estranged from his wife and was due in court Tuesday for a temporary divorce and custody hearing.

Sasser's arrest in May sparked a Georgia police officer standards and training council investigation.

Sasser was facing official job termination from the Glynn County Sheriff's Office.

6. On May 13, Sasser tried to force his way inside his estranged wife’s home. The couple have a 10-year-old son. 

After his arrest, a judge banned Sasser from Glynn County as a condition of his release. He had moved to Alabama to live with a relative.

Sasser was only supposed to be in Glynn County for court appearances.

7. After his May arrest, he had an hours-long standoff with police in Glynn County. 

Shortly after his release on the May domestic violence charge, Sasser drove his truck into woods and was reportedly armed, which was a violation of his release from jail stemming from the May incident.

After the May standoff, Sasser was briefly hospitalized.

7. On June 26, Sasser reportedly saw his estranged wife and a male friend of hers at Moondoggy's restaurant in Brunswick.  

Sasser made gun gestures towards his estranged wife -- and a complaint was filed.

8. Glynn County Court records show Sasser was to turn in his service weapons after May standoff. 

Glynn County confirms Sasser turned in his weapons and badge.

10. Later on June 28, Sasser led authorities on a low-speed chase that ended at his home in Glynn County. 

Sasser never exited the vehicle. SWAT shot tear gas into the vehicle, but no movement was seen inside.

Authorities found Sasser deceased in the vehicle.

He was 41 years old.

MUGSHOT: This is Glynn County police officer Robert Sasser's mugshot from his arrest in May. He was suspended without...

Posted by Action News Jax on Friday, June 29, 2018