Man distraught over mother’s death in Colbert arrested after Elbert County shooting

Joshua Lee Sewell

By Joe Johnson

Elbert County deputies have arrested an armed suspect following a pair of road rage incidents in which he used a shotgun.

Officials said it happened Thursday near a school in Elberton that was placed on soft lockdown. The suspect, Joshua Lee Sewell, was arrested in the area of Athens Highway and Sweet City Road.

Earlier in the day, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office had conducted a death investigation at the home of the suspect’s mother on 5th Street in Colbert, from where Sewell reportedly had left angry and upset. He wss in an SUV and armed with a shotgun.

He is said to have subsequently gotten involved in a traffic accident in Elberton, where he ran a car off the road before smashing its window with the gun and pointing it at the driver.

Reportedly, there was a second traffic incident in which the gun was discharged.

After fleeing from his damaged vehicle, Sewell caused considerable consternation from still being armed, and a search was launched using deputies from Elbert and Hart counties, K-9 units, drone teams, and a helicopter.

When captured he was charged with two counts aggravated assault, possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime, aiming a gun at another, reckless conduct, criminal trespass/damage to property, obstruction, and leaving the scene of an accident.

The death investigation in Colbert found no indications of foul play, officials said.