A 16-year-old LaGrange boy is dead after being shot at a home in Troup County, and deputies arrested a 21-year-old suspect at the scene of the shooting just hours later. Paul Smith died from his gunshot wounds after someone opened fire at a home on Sims Road, according to the Troup County Sheriff's Office.
As reported by 11Alive, deputies were called just after 7 p.m. Tuesday to the 200 block of Bass Cross Road after a 911 caller reported someone had been shot. FOX 5 Atlanta reported the dispatch time was 7:03 p.m. First responders found Smith unresponsive with gunshot wounds in a vehicle and immediately began life-saving measures before rushing him to the hospital, per FOX 5 Atlanta.
Smith was transported to Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, where he later died. The LaGrange hospital operates a 34-bed emergency department that handles more than 55,000 patient visits a year, according to Wellstar Health System.
Victim Was Driven Away From the Actual Scene
Investigators determined the shooting didn't actually happen on Bass Cross Road, but at a home on Sims Road. Another person riding in the car with Smith drove him away from that scene and called 911 for help, the sheriff's office said, per FOX 5 Atlanta's reporting.
That timeline helps explain why deputies initially responded to a different location before piecing together where the gunfire occurred. The sheriff's office has not released a motive for the shooting, nor has it explained what relationship, if any, exists between Smith and the suspect, 21-year-old Hunter Smith.
Suspect Arrested Before Formal Booking
Deputies arrested Hunter Smith without incident at the Sims Road home just before 10 p.m. Tuesday and took him to the Troup County jail, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. The arrest came together so quickly that formal jail booking and mugshot processing had not been completed by the time it was made public, according to CNAW 2 News.
Investigators with the Troup County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division determined where the shooting occurred. The agency's work is overseen by Sheriff James Woodruff, who was first elected in 2012 after starting his career with the sheriff's office as a jailer back in 1985, according to the Troup County Sheriff's Office. The case remains active, and officials have not detailed what charges Hunter Smith may ultimately face.
Part of a Troubling Pattern in Troup County
Georgia law recognizes murder in the second degree. Separately, Georgia law imposes a mandatory consecutive five-year prison term for possessing a firearm during a violent felony such as felony murder or aggravated assault, per the Kaufman Law firm.
This is not the first time Troup County has grappled with a young life cut short by gunfire. Just last month, a shooting at a LaGrange apartment complex left two people dead and a child or teenager injured, a case Hoodline previously covered. And in April, LaGrange police arrested a 16-year-old in connection with the 2025 fatal shooting of 14-year-old Demarrion Carter, another case involving a juvenile suspect and a teenage victim.
Troup County, with LaGrange as its county seat, spans 446 square miles and has a population of almost 70,000, according to Wikipedia. The sheriff's office was also recently awarded a $306,000 public safety grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to boost traffic safety and patrol enforcement across county roads, though that funding is unrelated to the ongoing homicide investigation.
Investigators have not said what led to the shooting on Sims Road, and the sheriff's office has released no further details as the investigation continues.
