DOUGLAS, Ga. – Five people are dead in a mass shooting in South Georgia.
Coffee County mass shooting
What we know:
According to the Douglas Police Department, officers were called around 11:09 p.m. Friday about a report of shots being fired.
Officers arrived at the scene to find five people, all appearing to have been shot. Medics pronounced those people dead at the scene.
According to Douglas Now, the incident is being treated as an apparent murder-suicide at a home on Robin Way in the Touchton Woods neighborhood.
Douglas Police probe
What we don’t know:
Few details have been released by the Douglas Police Department, including the exact address.
The names and ages of those shot and killed have not been released.
Authorities have not determined whether a larger gathering was taking place inside the home prior to the gunfire.
Series of mass shootings in Georgia
The backstory:
This is the third weekend in a row that Georgia law enforcement officials have reported a mass shooting or incident of multi-victim violence. While the circumstances of each shooting differ, the state has seen major gun violence across three consecutive weekends.
In Vienna, a 17-year-old was arrested on Friday in connection with a shooting at a homecoming block party the previous weekend that left two men dead and 35 others injured by gunfire or fleeing vehicles. The suspect was charged with underage firearm possession and participating in criminal street gang activity, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation expects additional arrests.
The violence followed an incident earlier in Macon, where 12 teenagers were injured when gunfire broke out during an 18th birthday party at Carolyn Crayton Park. Five suspects, including a 15-year-old charged as an adult, have been charged in that case.
Local perspective:
Douglas is located about 70 miles southeast of Vienna or about 180 miles southeast of Atlanta.
What’s next:
Officials are expected to release more details on Saturday.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Douglas Police Department, which provided initial response details, as well as local news outlet Douglas Now and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.