North Georgia man accused of killing ex-girlfriend, shooting two teens

By Marcus K. Garner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Calhoun man was hospitalized in police custody Friday after allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend to death and wounding two teens before being shot by police.

The scene unfolded Thursday evening across the northern edges of Gordon County, 70 miles north of Atlanta, where 38-year-old Paul Buchannon led county sheriff’s deputies on a hunt that ended near Hill City.

Gordon County sheriff's officials planned a 1:30 p.m. press conference to discuss the case.

Around 6 p.m. Thursday, sheriff’s deputies and detectives were called to a report of a double shooting at a home in the 2500 block of U.S. Highway 41 near Resaca, Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston said in an incident report.

There, deputies found a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old shot by a then-unidentified man. One of the men was shot in the back and the other in the leg. Both were taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.

"He shot the two men ... they were wounded," GBI spokesman John Bankhead told WSB Radio. "He then kidnapped the ex-girlfriend."

Witnesses reported the gunman forced the woman out of the house into a black Chevrolet Camaro and sped north on U.S. 41, Ralston said.

A search began as authorities identified Buchannon, and detectives tracked the woman’s cell phone signal to a remote area near the Whitfield County line.

Deputies found the Camaro abandoned alongside railroad tracks near Hill City and, believing Buchannon and his hostage were close by, began an intense ground search.

The woman was soon found sprawled on the railroad tracks several hundred yards outside town, shot in the head, Ralston said.

Dozens of law enforcement officers were called to search for a man who was now considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.

The sheriff requested help from the GBI, State Patrol, deputies from Walker and Whitfield county sheriff’s offices, and from the Calhoun police, Ralston said.

Hound dogs and handlers from the Georgia Department of Corrections also were called, along with a helicopter from the Georgia Aviation Authority, to aid with the search through a wooded area along Georgia Highway 136.

Deputies discovered signs of forced entry at a nearby church, where broken glass was found with blood on it, Ralston said.

The manhunt continued as darkness fell, while GBI agents investigated the scene of the initial shooting and the scene where the woman was found.

Around 9:50 p.m., Ralston said a search team consisting of deputies and corrections officer and dog found Buchannon in a thickly wooded area.

“Buchannon threatened the officers with his pistol and was subsequently shot several times,” Ralston said in the report.

Authorities later determined the handgun recovered from Buchannon was the same one used to shoot the woman and the teens. No officers were harmed, Ralston said.

Buchannon was flown by helicopter to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, where his condition was unknown.

"We don't know if he will survive or not," Bankhead said.

The victims have not been identified, pending notification of their families and loved ones, authorities said.

The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting and the investigation continues.

Buchannon, who has had prior domestic violence-related arrests, will likely be charged with murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and gun charges.

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