Elliott Jones

elliott.jones@tcpalm.com

GIFFORD — Indian River County NAACP Chairman Tony Brown said he was up all Friday night into Saturday morning getting phone calls from concerned people.

He knew Indian River County Corrections Deputy Garry Chambliss, who died after being shot Friday night, very well.

He spoke with "grown men who were crying," he said. "This is devastating to our community and will bring about change."

Makhail Malik Chambliss, 21, has been arrested in connection with the off-duty officer's death. He's charged with felony discharge of a firearm from a vehicle. Deputies still are searching for an as-yet unidentified suspect who they said fired the shot that killed Garry Chambliss.

"We've learned that Deputy Garry Chambliss was not the intended target of the bullet that struck and killed him," said Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar in a news release. "Members of the Sheriff's Office will continue to work tirelessly until Garry's killer is behind bars."

Makhail Chambliss is the son of Garry Chambliss' nephew, Michael Chambliss, according to family members.

"Can you imagine how I'm feeling?" Michael Chambliss said at his Gifford home Saturday afternoon.

Makhail Chambliss, of the 400 block of 27th Avenue, Gifford, is unemployed and lives a block from where the shooting occurred, according to his arrest information. He is in the Indian River County Jail with no bond.

Two suspects in the shooting were seen leaving the area in a black Chevrolet Camaro, according to sheriff's officials. Deputies stopped the vehicle at Powerline Road and County Road 510, where they took Makhail Chambliss into custody early Saturday.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Michael Chambliss said he and his son Makhail were at a wake for a friend at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in the 4400 block of 28th Avenue, Friday afternoon. It's across the street from where Garry Chambliss was shot.

A number of people were gathered in the 4300 and 4400 blocks of 28th Avenue after the wake, the news release states.

"Some guys seemed tense around my son," Michael Chambliss said.

That night, he said, his son was driving north on 28th Avenue, when someone threw an object at his car. Mikhail Chambliss picked up his gun, discharged it into the air and drove north, Michael Chambliss said.

Then, Michael Chambliss said, gunshots were fired in the direction of his son's car and passed the house where Garry Chambliss was visiting relatives.

Relatives said the off-duty deputy, who was visiting family at his cousin Darrell Chambliss' house in the 4400 block of 28th Avenue, was standing near the road when gunfire rang out about 9:30 p.m., about a block south of the home.

Garry Chambliss yelled for everyone to "get low" as the sounds of bullets passed by. He pushed a cousin out of the way, but then also fell, relatives said Saturday morning. He made it about 20 feet, then collapsed in the home's driveway.

Darrell Chambliss, who had been watching a football game, came out to see what was going on after a niece ran into the house.

"'Get down! There's a shooting down this road. I can hear and see the bullets,'" he said she told him.

That's when he turned on the lights, went outside and found his cousin, the deputy, on the ground.

'KOOL-AID' LOVED LIFE

The Rev. Donald Brown Sr. of the Church Of God In Christ in Fellsmere said he just saw Garry Chambliss on Friday.

“He gave me a big hug," he said. "He was smiling and laughing, He was always smiling and laughing."

Many who knew 'Kool-Aid,' as he was known to family, friends and co-workers, recalled his smile.

"They called him 'Kool-Aid' because of that smile,” said Alisa Wilson of Vero Beach. Wilson grew up in Gifford and said she, like everyone in the community, knew Deputy Chambliss. “That’s going to be a huge funeral.”

Relatives of Garry Chambliss on Saturday were still reeling from the death of their beloved family member.

He was a single father of two daughters, relatives said.

He was a "fun-loving man, always smiling," said cousin Ozie Allen, 32, of Gifford. "He was always positive, and would do anything for his family." She said she last saw him about a week ago.

Another cousin, Previs Brown of Sebastian, is a staff assistant at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center and attended Vero Beach High School with Chambliss.

"I’m still in shock. It’s jaw-dropping. I still can’t believe it," he said. "But he’s in a better place.”

JAIL CO-WORKERS MOURN

Garry Chambliss worked for 27½ years with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, and planned to retire in 2½ years. He looked forward to buying an RV and traveling the country, said Lt. Eric Flowers, Sheriff's Office spokesman. In the 1990s, he worked in community policing. More recently, he was a transportation deputy for the Indian River County Jail.

Bevelon Theriault, 71, of Gifford, who retired from the Sheriff’s Office 10 years ago recalled Chambliss' gentle spirit.

“He was the sweetest man. He was one of the really good guys. He was so polite," she said. "He was young; it’s just so senseless.”

A photo of Garry Chambliss sits on a table in the front lobby of the jail, next to a couple bouquets of flowers. Another picture with his co-workers in the jail's corrections transportation unit sits on the table next to sympathy cards.

Capt. Ryan Haffield worked closely with Garry Chambliss in the jail’s corrections transportation unit from 2006 to about 2008. Chambliss first became a transportation deputy in 2000, he said. Recently, Haffield supervised him.

He said his co-worker was loved by everyone and that he was shocked by his death.

“I was numb," Haffield said. "You don’t think it’s reality at first (for this to happen) especially to such a great guy. It hurts knowing he was part of our family here at the Sheriff’s Office.”

He said Garry Chambliss was fun, outgoing and always had a jolly attitude.

“You can see from his picture, he always had that smile,” Haffield said. “That was his everyday smile.”

Haffield said Garry Chambliss was a great worker who was dependable, took initiative and didn’t need much supervision.

He participated in special community events such as “Shop with a Cop” and received the “Going the Extra Mile” award in 2000 and in 2014, which is given to deputies who go above and beyond their normal duties, Haffield said.

Garry Chambliss died several houses from where two people, a brother and sister, were injured by gunfire at their house on Feb. 7. No arrests have been made in that case. Sheriff's investigators say the two people who were shot have been uncooperative.

INFORMATION SOUGHT

An anonymous tip line has been set up at the Sheriff's Office for people who were at the scene to come forward: Tips can be left on an automated machine by calling 772-778-0000.

Tips also can be called in to Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS (8477). Those who call can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.00 through Crime Stoppers.

MEMORIALS

The Sheriff's Office is asking that all flowers and cards be dropped off at the county jail at the Sheriff's Office complex, 4055 41st Ave., Vero Beach, FL 32960.

Anything given to the Sheriff's Office will be given to the family at the time of a memorial service, said Lt. Eric Flowers, spokesman for the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

Staff writers Nicholas Samuel and Ginny Beagan contributed to this report.