Pre-dawn gunfire shattered the quiet on Wallace Way in Rockmart early Friday, leaving one man fighting for his life and a shooter still unaccounted for, according to deputies.
Paulding County deputies were called to the 200 block of Wallace Way just after 6 a.m., where they found a man critically wounded from a shooting. He was rushed to a local hospital and remains in critical condition. The shooter or shooters had already left the scene by the time law enforcement arrived, and no arrests have been made.
Investigation Underway
Detectives with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division are leading the case and working to piece together what happened in those early morning minutes, officials said. Investigators are still trying to determine what led to the shooting and have not released any details on a possible motive or whether the victim knew the person or people responsible.
Despite the open questions, authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public as the investigation moves forward, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
How to Help
The sheriff's office is asking anyone who might have seen or heard something to come forward. Tipsters can contact the Criminal Investigations tip line at (770) 443-3047 or submit information through the Paulding Sheriff mobile app. Callers can remain anonymous, according to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office website.
Officials are especially interested in names, vehicle descriptions and any surveillance footage that could help detectives track movements in and around the 200 block of Wallace Way around the time of the shooting.
Local Context
Friday's shooting lands in a community that has seen deadly gun violence before. In March 2022, a triple shooting in Paulding County left two people dead and one person critically injured, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Local authorities say the investigation into the Wallace Way shooting remains active, and they plan to release additional details as they confirm them, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
