Local & State Headlines

GBI investigating death

• An elderly Lee County man is found dead in his house Tuesday, investigators say.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — A 52-year-old man is in critical condition in an Albany hospital after two Dougherty High School students found him covered in blood outside of an eastside library Tuesday, police said.

John Lewis Barbre, 52, of Albany, was found sitting outside the Tallulah Massey Library on Stratford Drive by two students walking to class around 7:30 Tuesday morning, police reports show.

According to the report, Travis Watson and Michael Anthony were walking to school when they saw Barbre sitting with his head down outside of the library. When they got closer to him, they noticed a large amount of blood coming from his head and told him they would call for help.

When the two got to school, they told a teacher who called police, reports show.

Barbre was taken to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital by paramedics and was immediately taken for a CAT scan and then placed in a drug-induced coma, police reports show.

He is was listed in critical condition Tuesday night.

Police are still investigating to determine the cause Barbre’s injuries, APD spokesperson Phyllis Banks said.

Reports show that Barbre sustained head trauma and had scrapes and abrasions on his legs, feet and hands, leading investigators to believe that he either was dragged or thrown from a vehicle. Marks consistent with tire treads were found on his arm, according to the police report.

Barbre’s shoes and coat were nearly 200 yards from where he was found by the students, the report shows.

The report goes on to show that doctors had to use 26 staples to close the wound on Barbre’s head, which was described as being 5-7 inches long.

Initially, police believed that Barbre may have been involved in a hit-and -run incident, but now investigators say he may have been assaulted and then thrown from a vehicle, according to the report.

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