A shooting in northwest Georgia this weekend left three people dead and an off-duty police officer seriously wounded. The incident occurred Saturday night in a Rock Spring home and is under investigation.
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the assailant, 54-year-old Russell David Payne of Marietta, took the lives of his estranged wife, Jacklyn D. Payne, and her father, Eugene "Jack" Denny, before turning the gun on himself. Chickamauga police officer Charles Dunn, 52, was critically injured during a confrontation with the shooter. Dunn, a longtime friend of the victims, was present in the home at the time of the attack.
The Walker County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 distress call made from inside the home around 7 p.m., where they discovered the tragic scene. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Payne had fired multiple .223 caliber rounds into the rear of the house before entering and continuing his assault inside the residence.
Officer Dunn, who lives in the Rock Spring area and was off duty at the time, "appeared to have engaged the shooter," said Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson. In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chickamauga Mayor Trey Deck said, "Officer Dunn has dedicated his life to serving our community, and now he needs our collective support as he fights for his recovery. Let’s come together as a community to send him strength and hope. Your prayers and positive thoughts can make a difference for him and his family."
The investigation remains active, with autopsies to be conducted by the GBI Crime Lab. The motives and full circumstances of the attack are still to be ascertained.
