Georgia man Thomas Hawk, wife and grandson killed in gun range shooting
Police are looking for at the least one armed suspect in reference to the killing of the proprietor of a gun vary in Georgia and his spouse and grandson, authorities mentioned Saturday.
The Grantville Police Division mentioned through Fb that the theft occurred Friday night. When officers arrived on the scene round 8 p.m., they found the our bodies of the proprietor of Lock Inventory & Barrel Taking pictures Vary, alongside along with his spouse and grandson.
In line with WSB-TV, Grantville Police recognized the victims because the gun vary proprietor, Thomas Hawk, 75; his spouse, Evelyn, 75; and their grandson, Luke, 17.
Police Chief Steve Whitlock mentioned the Hawk household was well-known and well-respected of their small, tight-knit group. The Hawks had operated Lock Inventory & Barrel for practically 30 years. Their grandson was on spring break, serving to his grandparents on the store.
“That is only a shock to all people locally,” Whitlock advised The Related Press. “We’re making an attempt to do the perfect that we will to determine this out.”
Whitlock mentioned investigators consider the theft and taking pictures occurred round 5:30 p.m. Friday, which is when the vary usually closes. He mentioned Hawk’s son, Richard, got here by the enterprise and was the one that discovered the victims.
There are not any suspects as of early Saturday, and no arrests have been made, he mentioned. Investigators mentioned that as many as 40 weapons and the vary’s surveillance digicam have been additionally stolen.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating, however when contacted Saturday referred all inquiries to Grantville Police. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was additionally known as in as a result of quantity of weapons taken. Whitlock mentioned he’s grateful for the assistance from different regulation enforcement businesses within the investigation.
“We’re only a small city, 12 officers. I’ve been right here eight years and have by no means needed to examine something like this. It’s been type of onerous on us. The crime charge is absolutely, actually low,” he mentioned.
A reward of $15,000 has been posted for info resulting in the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers within the case, in line with the ATF Atlanta workplace’s Twitter feed.
“ATF and our regulation enforcement companions will work tirelessly to carry the killer(s) to justice,” ATF Atlanta Discipline Division Particular Agent in Cost Benjamin P. Gibbons mentioned in an announcement. “The brutality of those mindless murders together with the truth that these killer(s) have acquired extra firearms makes fixing this case our prime precedence.”
A message left with the ATF workplace in Atlanta was not instantly returned.
Police are asking any witnesses to return ahead. Whitlock mentioned they don’t have any video proof to work with proper now.
“Anybody having pushed by the taking pictures vary throughout the time-frame of 530pm to 630 pm that will have seen autos apart from a white Ford dually truck and a black Ford expedition are requested to contact the police division,” Grantville police mentioned of their Fb assertion.
The taking pictures vary is in rural Coweta County, about 50 miles (about 80 kilometers) southwest of Atlanta.
Coweta County Sheriff Lenn Wooden mentioned in an announcement on Fb that your complete group was without end damaged by the “mindless and tragic” killings of the Hawk members of the family.
“I’m additionally fervently praying that God will use our regulation enforcement group and the Coweta Group,” he mentioned, “to carry justice swiftly.”
