Two Georgia men have been charged with making terroristic threats toward a white sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a black man while serving a search warrant in Thomasville, Georgia, last week.

A Thomas County judge on Monday denied bond to Levon Griffin and Luther Engram, who are both charged with felony terroristic threats and acts.

The alleged threats were made on social media from the scene of the Aug. 15 shooting death of 37-year-old Herbert Gilbert. Thomas County Sheriff’s Office deputy Josh Smith shot and killed Gilbert when narcotics/vice division agents approached Gilbert’s house to serve a search warrant.

The shooting sparked immediate backlash in Gilbert’s community, with many locals frustrated by the lack of information released by authorities.

Smith is currently on administrative leave pending a formal Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe of the shooting.

Capt. Steven Jones, TCSO’s public information officer, said both Griffin and Engram posted threats to officers and their families on social media, while Engram specifically referenced Smith’s home.

“His statement was that they had gone over to shoot up Deputy (Josh) Smith’s residence, but he was not at home,” Jones said.

Authorities have released few details since the notification of Gilbert’s death last week. Jones confirmed that a narcotics agent, now identified as Smith, was attempting to serve a warrant at a house when the shooting occurred.

A GBI press release says the incident involved Gilbert’s vehicle and drug squad vehicles prior to the shooting.

“There wasn’t a pursuit. The vehicles were involved in a collision,” said Marko Jones, assistant special agent in charge of the Thomasville GBI office.

When asked if Gilbert was armed, Jones said GBI agents are viewing video from drug agents’ body cameras.

Georgia State Patrol troopers responded to the scene on Aug. 15 to assist with crowd control as hundreds gathered at the shooting site, filling nearby streets and a convenience store parking lot.

Johnny James, a bystander, expressed his grief. 

“We need some help around here,” he said. “It hurt to see a young man down there dead.” 

Dozens of people rallied outside the jail the following day.

“I’m out here protesting for a man that was shot for no reason at all,” protestor William Gibson said. He added that he did not think police followed proper procedures. 

A larger rally held Monday, Aug. 21, attracted locals and regional activists from groups such as Black Lives Matter and the Black Panthers.

Chants of ‘”no justice, no peace,” “hands up, don’t shoot,” among others rang through the downtown Thomasville streets.  Police blocked off sections of downtown to allow the marchers to pass.

“As long as they are protesting peacefully, it is their right to do it,” Thomas County Sheriff Carlton Powell said last week. “We’re asking them not to impede traffic and have this develop into something else that might cause somebody else to get hurt. There are people in the community who are upset. We are asking for cooler heads to prevail.” 

The Thomasville, Georgia, Times-Enterprise contributed to this story.