Lake Tobesofkee shooting suspect re-arrested

Shelby Smith, and his wife Maxie, say they want the accused gunman to face stiffer charges. Smith says he wishes the sheriff’s office would have done more. 

“Even though they didn’t do what they were supposed to do, the crime is still the same. It’s still aggravated assault, no matter what. The sheriff did what he did, and once again we’re asking David Cooke, the district attorney, to help us,” Smith said. 

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis announced a suspect turned himself into the sheriff’s office in connection to the March 21st Lake Tobesofkee shooting.

In a news conference Thursday morning, Sheriff Davis said Basil Ghali, 24, admitted he was responsible for shooting at two fisherman on Lake Tobesofkee. Ghali is charged with reckless conduct with a firearm. He turned the pistol used that night over to the sheriff’s office.

District Attorney David Cooke’s office said, “We are going to carefully review the evidence in this case and determine whether more charges are warranted.”

Sheriff Davis realizes many people in the community called for more severe charges. He explains if the deputies who initially responded to the incident would had done their jobs properly, Ghali might have been charged with aggravated assault.

“Mistakes were made by my deputies that night. Because of these mistakes, a criminal case was jeopardized,” said Sheriff Davis.

Sheriff Davis said everyone involved in the incident has been disciplined. The two deputies who responded to the call were reassigned to Corrections and are required to complete remedial training. Their supervisors and command staff have also been disciplined and directed to complete remedial training. In the letters, Sheriff Davis tells the deputies supervisors “your lack of supervision and poor decisions on this night directly affected the outcome of a criminal investigation.”

You can read all of the letters in the attached document at the top of this story.

Adriel Miles, one of the victims in the shooting, tells 41NBC he’s trying to wrap his head around the news.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s website says Ghali was arrested at 10:15 a.m. Thursday morning and released on a $650 bond at 11:03 a.m.

Stay with 41NBC and 41NBC.com for the latest on this developing story.