ATLANTA — An investigation into the fatal shooting of two prison guards will determine whether more should be done to improve security on prison transport buses, Gov. Nathan Deal said Wednesday. 

Two guards, Sgt. Christopher Monica and Sgt. Curtis Billue, were killed early Tuesday morning in Putnam County when two inmates were able to enter a caged area of a transport bus and disarm the guards. 

The inmates, 24-year-old Ricky Dubose and 43-year-old Donnie Russell Rowe, were on a bus with 31 other inmates who were being transported from Hancock State Prison to Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.

Such inmate transports are a common, even daily, occurrence. The state Department of Corrections is investigating what went wrong Tuesday.

“We need to find out what the circumstances really were, how did it happen, and what can you do to prevent it, and those are the lessons we will learn,” Deal told reporters Wednesday. “It’s a hard way to learn lessons, however. 

A massive manhunt is still underway for Dubose and Rowe, now more than 24 hours after their escape.

Deal said Wednesday that he remains confident that the two men will be caught.

“The manhunt continues,” he said. “It is certainly one that will not let up until these individuals are captured.”

“Sometimes, it takes longer than we would like, but I have every confidence that they’re going to get these individuals and bring them to justice,” he added.

A $70,000 reward is being offered for information leading to their arrests.

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jnolin@cnhi.com.