Police are investigating a double shooting Christmas Eve that left a man dead and a woman injured.
Maurice Jamar Bentley, 31, is sought for the murder of Michael John Polite. Polite was shot and killed December 24 in the 800 block of Elliott Avenue.
Polite, 38, was a father of four.
Bentley, 31, is a black male with a dark complexion. He is approximately 5-10 and 145 pounds with a thin build.
He was last known to have longer length braided or corn-rowed hair, but possibly has cut it. He is also a registered sex offender.
Police ask anyone with knowledge of Bentley’s location to call Emergency 9-1-1 or the Violent Crimes office at (912) 525-3124 immediately.
Bentley should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.
Polite and Angela Johnson, 44, “were involved in a conversation with a man in an SUV near their residence on the 800 block of Elliott Street in west Savannah about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday,” police say.
The man produced a weapon and fired, striking the two victims. Both were transported to Memorial University Medical Center where Polite died and Johnson was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crimestoppers at (912) 234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637).
Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward. A confidential Tip Line also is open directly to investigators at (912) 525-3124.
• Detectives are sorting out the details of a shooting that left one man dead in the Edgemore neighborhood of east Savannah Thursday night.
Antonio Terrell Heyward, 21, was transported to Memorial University Medical Center where he died after the 6:05 p.m. shooting in the 1300 block of East 55th Street.
Patrol officers found him in the street when they responded to a “shots fired” call.
A 22-year-old Savannah man has been detained for questioning.
• Two Greenville, NC, residents received serious injuries Saturday night when they walked in front of a vehicle on MLK Jr. Boulevard.
Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) officers of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department said the man and woman were crossing MLK from east to west against the traffic light. They were struck by a Chevrolet Impala being driven south on MKL by a 35-year-old Savannah man. Albert Wayne Pittman, 61, and Debra Elaine Haddock, 57, were transported to Memorial University Medical Center after the 6:41 p.m. accident. MAIT continues to investigate. • Rick Hall, a Chatham County Sheriff’s Department deputy charged with aggravated child molestation, was denied bond and his case bound over to a Superior Court Judge.
Hall has been a deputy with the Chatham Sheriff’s Dept. since 1987. In June of 2013 he was assigned to Court Services, a position he also held in 2007 when he was promoted to Lieutenant. Hall also worked in an off duty status in the Drug Court.
There was a previous complaint filed against Hall in 2008, but the investigation failed to produce sufficient evidence to prosecute.
Early December, the department received a complaint about Hall. An investigation was initiated by Internal Affairs. Enough evidence was available to obtain a search warrant and arrest warrant for him. Both warrants were executed at his home on Wilmington Island this past Friday night.
Investigators are still collecting evidence and urge anyone with information to call 652-7693 and speak to an internal affairs investigator, or Crimestoppers at 912-234-2020.
