McDonough man shot dead in custody swap at Madison rest stop | police and fire brigade

A custody swap ended in deadly fashion last Friday when a man was shot dead in the Pilot Truck Stop parking lot.

According to Detective Sergeant. Wes Thompson, Madison Police Department Charles Corbitt, 28, Augusta, was arrested shortly after he allegedly shot Taylor Dickens, 32, McDonough, four times with a .357 revolver.

The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. on June 15 near the front doors of the Pilot Truck Stop, Thompson said.

The detective said authorities understand Corbitt arrived at the rest area to facilitate the exchange of his daughter by Dickens and his wife Marren Dickens, the seven-year-old child’s mother. Thompson said an initial investigation found that Corbitt and Dickens had verbally argued during the exchange, which turned into a physical altercation. While the two men were arguing, he said, Marren Dickens escorted the child back to a burgundy Kia where two other toddlers were inside.

After Dickens was shot, he fought his way back to the Kia, Thompson said, and Marren Dickens drove the family south on US 441 while she called 911 to report that her husband had been shot.

The Morgan County Dispatch had received numerous calls from the busy Pilot Truck Stop about shots being fired. The Kia was pulled over by officers from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office less than a block from Pilot on US 441 in the turn lane of the road in front of the Chevron convenience store. Officers began administering first aid to Dickens, and an ambulance arrived shortly after the stop. Dickens was placed in the ambulance and transported to Morgan Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Thompson said the entire event, from the argument to the man’s death, happened over a period of about 30 minutes.

All four shots, Thompson said, hit Dickens.

Investigators, including members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, found two guns at the scene. The .357 revolver allegedly used in the shooting was in Corbitt’s vehicle. A second semi-automatic revolver was found on the ground near the scene of the altercation. No one else was injured in the shooting, Thompson said.

Earlier, in September 2022, a complaint was made to police that both men had had an argument during a custody swap at the Pilot truck rest area.

Corbitt remains incarcerated at the Morgan County Detention Center for murder and aggravated assault.