Law enforcement officials say five people were shot dead in the community of Appling, Ga., at two separate locations on Friday evening.
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Columbia County Sheriff Captain Andy Shedd said in a statement that the body of Hawes was recovered by authorities in his northeastern Georgia home. Their Special Response team entered Hawes’ residence at 3311 Rosemont Drive just after midnight, where they found him deceased with a gunshot wound to his head.
He said Hawes’ wife was not among the victims but that some of her family members were among those killed.
On Friday night the county coroner confirmed that five people were killed in a pair shootings in two locations.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office says they believe that this is the work of one gunman who attacked during a domestic incident.
At 8.32pm, authorities responded to a second crime scene on Washington Road where two other victims, a male and female, also were found. Her grandmother and cousin were among those killed by her father. She had left Hawes before, but this time she took her belongings with her because on past occasions he would destroy her property when she would leave. Evidence suggests that most of the victims were asleep at the time that they were shot, including a young mother who was cradling her four-day-old baby. She said Roosevelt Burns was her grandmother’s brother.
Ola Murry, of Appling, in north-east Georgia said the neighbourhood was devastated by the events. “After we saw him go off, we were like: “That’s not right”, she added”.
“I always thought he was a nice guy”, Murray said. You got to think.
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