A former sheriff’s deputy killed another man Tuesday night during an argument concerning the accused assailant’s ex-wife, according to a release from the Bulloch County Sheriff's Office.

Dustin Leigh Cowart, of a Highway 80, Portal address, is charged in the murder of Ray Clifford Beasley Jr., said Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown in a statement issued Wednesday morning.

According to the release, deputies responded to the intersection of Mixon and Rocky Ford roads around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday for “a call about a confrontation that led to a victim sustaining a gunshot wound.”

Deputies and Investigators arrived to find Beasley dead at the scene. 

Cowart, 35, a former Bulloch County sheriff’s deputy, was also at the scene. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Bulloch County Jail, Brown said.

Beasley was not armed, according to Bulloch County Sheriff’s Capt. Todd Hutchens.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that Cowart and Beasley met at this location to have a discussion about Beasley’s relationship with Cowart’s ex-wife,” Brown said. 

After interviewing witnesses and reviewing evidence at the scene, deputies charged Cowart with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during commission of a crime. 

He is being held in the Bulloch County Jail, without bond, as he awaits further court proceedings.