Explosive device found as scene of Habersham County murder

HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga. - A Cornelia man is behind bars in the Habersham County Jail. He's accused of shooting two men, killing one of them, in a dispute over a woman.

Habersham County Sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic call at the suspect's residence along Garrison Road between Garner Road and Pea Ridge Road in Cornelia at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. When they arrived, a man and woman at the home said everything was okay.

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About two hours later neighbors called reporting two men, Jesse Robert Looney, 33, of Demorest, and Brandon Stephens, 26, had been shot and that the woman involved, Amanda Jill Callahan, 37, in the earlier incident was with them, but unharmed. Looney died from his injuries. Stephens was treated at an area hospital and released.

Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell told FOX 5 News, the suspect, Tommy Savage, 56, is known to wear a side arm, and owns an assault rifle. Investigators believed he used a shotgun to shoot the victims.

Sheriff Terrell knows the suspect and his family well. "There was an incident several years ago where his daughter was arrested for making bombs at this house." The suspect's daughter, Celia Savage, is serving a three year prison term for making pipe bombs.

According to the sheriff the suspect has called 911 a lot lately. The sheriff described the calls in his words as "paranoid in nature, crazy talk". "Thinking that people are after him, certain law enforcement officers are after him, people are in the woods trying to get him."

 Seven hours after the standoff began the sheriff announced the suspect was arrested shortly before 11 a.m. A homemade explosive device was recovered from Looney’s pocket. It was disposed of by the GBI Bomb Unit. Investigators said they also recovered a Mossberg shot gun believed to have been used in the crim.

Sheriff Terrell told FOX 5 they are working to determine exactly what led up to the shooting.

Savage is being charged with murder and two counts of aggravated assault.