A man shot in the head last week died Wednesday morning, and the suspect jailed in the shooting now faces a felony murder charge.
Keith Wesley Brannen, 43, of Plantation Mobile Home Park, died around 3 a.m. Wednesday at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, according to relatives. Brannen was shot in head April 22, at the B. Stubbs Road home of James Jeffrey Stubbs, 52, who was arrested that night on aggravated assault charges.
The victim's brother Ricky Brannen told the Statesboro Herald last week that the victim suffered severe injuries after a shotgun blast to the top of his head. He said his brother showed improvement late last week by moving his feet and crying. But Wednesday, Brannen's sister said his condition worsened over the weekend.
Bulloch County Sheriff Lynn Anderson said in a release issued Wednesday that Stubbs' has now been charged with felony murder. Stubbs remains in the Bulloch County Jail, where he has been incarcerated since the shooting, without bond.
Sheriff's patrol deputies were dispatched to the residence at 9:45 p.m. April 22, where they found Brannen on the ground with a gunshot wound. Stubbs was found inside the home and taken into custody. Investigators questioned witnesses who were at the scene when the shooting occurred, including a juvenile.
Stubbs has a lengthy history of arrests in Bulloch and other counties, according to Bulloch County Jail records. While many records are sealed by the state because of recent privacy law changes, public record shows Stubbs was arrested several times on battery charges, including incidents in November 1999 and January 2002.
Anyone with information on this case should contact sheriff's Investigator Dusty Williams at (912) 764-1703 or submit an anonymous tip to tips@bullochsheriff.com.
Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.