One of the operators of a popular YouTube channel promoting high-powered guns and explosives was found shot to death last week in northeast Georgia.

Keith Ratliff, 32, was found dead Thursday evening on Hayes Road in Carnesville, radio station WLHR-FM reported.
Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas told the station that Ratliff, of Frankfort, Ky., had been shot once in the head, and that his death was being treated as a homicide until the investigation proves otherwise.

The GBI has been called in to assist in the investigation, and Ratliff’s body was taken to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta for an autopsy.

Ratliff, along with Kyle Lamar Myers, who appears in the online videos, operate the “FPSRussia” YouTube channel, which has 3.4 million subscribers. Videos posted on the channel have racked up more than a half-billion views. According to YouTube, FPSRussia is the ninth-most popular channel on the website.

Ratliff also operated a company out of Carnesville called FPS Industries. In video gamer jargon, FPS stands for first person shooter.

The Facebook page for FPS Industries indicates that the company, which sells “custom weaponry and weapon technologies,” is located on Hayes Road in Carnesville.

On his LinkedIn profile, Ratliff stated, “After a life of loving firearms and computers, I have combined both into one great new business that offers both viral marketing and quality firearms from one place. We are FPS Industries Global LLC, a type 10 Destructive Device Manufacturer and Viral Marketing superpower on YouTube and Facebook.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution-By Mike Morris