Man charged in shooting death of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Georgia authorities say
A Georgia man has been arrested and charged in the murder of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, authorities announced Friday.
Byrd, a Tony Award-nominated actor who starred in several films by director Spike Lee including “He Got Game,” was gunned down near his home in southwest Atlanta on Oct. 3, the Atlanta Police Department reported previously. The 70-year-old was shot several times in the back and died at the scene.
Authorities issued a warrant for suspect Antonio Demetrice Rhynes, 30, on Wednesday after “following up on evidence and tips,” the department said in a news release obtained by McClatchy News. Rhynes was taken into custody early Friday at an apartment complex on the south side of Atlanta.
“The Atlanta Police Department is proud of the diligent efforts of the Homicide Unit to identify a suspect in this crime and the skilled and professional work done by the Fugitive Unit and SWAT Unit to take Mr. Rhynes into custody without incident,” police said in a statement.
Rhynes will be booked at the Fulton County Jail, according to authorities.
Byrd was a stage actor but was also no stranger to the big screen, appearing in a number of Spike Lee Joints including “Get on the Bus,” “Chi-raq,” and “Clockers.” In 2003, he earned a Tony Award nomination for best featured actor in a play for August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” which is set for a film release this year starring Viola Davis and the late actor Chadwick Boseman.
Byrd is not in the film.
Lee offered kind words and condolences to Byrd’s family on social media earlier this month.
“Tom Is My Guy, Here Below You See Him As The Frightening Character Errol Barnes In CLOCKERS,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “Brother Byrd Also Did His Thang In My Joints.”
Byrd’s daughter, Shannon Byrd-Crossley, was relieved to hear her father’s killer was in custody, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she didn’t know Rhynes. Jail records show he’s been arrested five times in Fulton County since 2007 on charges including armed robbery and hijacking a motor vehicle, the newspaper reported.
“Any progress that is made, we are thankful for it,” Byrd-Crossley told the newspaper, thanking police for their efforts. “I do feel great relief. But at the same time, it doesn’t bring him back.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 2:16 PM.