William Thomas Manning

Lieutenant Billy Manning was shot and killed when he and his partner stopped a speeding vehicle on U.S. Route 78. When the vehicle stopped, the occupant exited it and approached the officers. When they asked for his driver's license, he pulled out a .38 caliber handgun and opened fire, striking both officers one time. When the officers fell to the ground, the man approached and shot Lieutenant Manning twice more and his partner once more. His partner survived the shooting. One suspect was tried in February 1974 and convicted of murder, but the conviction was overturned due to a technicality. Lieutenant Manning was a United States Army Vietnam veteran who had served with the Tallapoosa Police Department for two years and previously served with the Georgia State Patrol for eight years. was survived by his parents and siblings.