Feb. 7, 2015: Police stand in the doorway of a home while
investigating the shooting scene where authorities say five people are
dead, including the gunman, in Douglasville, Ga. (AP)
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. – A quiet, suburban neighborhood outside investigating the shooting scene where authorities say five people are
dead, including the gunman, in Douglasville, Ga. (AP)
Atlanta was left reeling after a man shot six people -- killing four of
them, including his ex-wife and several children -- before ending the
rampage by fatally turning the gun on himself, police said.
The shooting happened Saturday around 3 p.m. in a subdivision about
20 miles west of Atlanta, Douglas County Sheriff's Lt. Glenn Daniel
said.
Horrified neighbors called 911 and then tried to help the severely injured victims as best they could before rescuers arrived.
The shooter, whose name was not immediately released, appeared to
have targeted his ex-wife and her household, shooting victims inside and
outside the house, Daniel said. Several children were gunned down as
they fled on a street, neighbors said.
Authorities did not release the names of the victims because they
were still trying Saturday to contact the next of kin. Investigators
believe the gunman killed himself at the end of the shooting spree.
Police were still trying to determine the shooter's motive and piece together what happened.
"I've been in law enforcement out here 20 years and this is the worst
I've ever seen," Daniel said. He did not know when the couple divorced
or if they had prior contact with police.
Teresa Carter, 59, said she heard the gunfire from inside her home
but did not see what happened. Carter said she often saw the children
playing in the driveway and around the neighborhood. They enjoyed
petting her dog.
"I heard shots, and I heard the girl scream," Carter said. "And then I heard four more shots."
Brandon Hallman was working on a car a few houses down when the shooting started.
"I heard a couple quick shots, you know, back to back to back. Went
out there and, you know, looked and it was already over," Hallman said.
"We just grabbed some towels and kind of went down there to try and help
before the paramedics got here."
Another neighbor, Angela Ansah, struggled to explain to her own
children what happened to their slain friends a few houses down. Ansah
said some of the children targeted Saturday often came over to her house
to play with her own children.
"These are children I see every day, every blessed day," Ansah said.
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