The 16-year-old girl who was shot in Thursday’s murder-suicide in Lumpkin County is “recovering from multiple surgeries,” authorities said Friday.
The girl was one of three children on the scene when a 39-year-old man fatally shot his ex-wife and her sister, then took his own life, Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said. The teen is recovering at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
The other children, ages 13 and 2, were not seriously injured, sheriff’s spokesman Alan Roach said.
The women who were shot to death by Kelley James McDonald Jr. were identified as ex-wife Kelly Jean Garrison, 35, of Tampa, Fla., and Tracy Lynne Runnels, 38, of Dahlonega, according to Roach.
The 2-year-old is the child of McDonald and Garrison, according to Channel 2 Action News. The other two children are Runnels’.
The children’s identities were not released.
RELATED: Cops: Wanted man from Florida shoots ex-wife and her sister, then kills himselfEM-dummyText .?
Garrison had left Florida “for safety,” Jarrard said. McDonald was wanted there for domestic abuse, the sheriff confirmed.
Officials still are not sure how McDonald got to the location.
A deputy responded to the residence on Bryn Drive about 8:20 a.m. and saw a woman’s body near the garage, Roach said.
Another deputy arrived, and while clearing the house, they heard “several” gunshots, according to Roach. Soon they found two more dead people.
The victims are undergoing autopsies by the GBI, which helped with the investigation.
MORE: Atlanta crime news
About the Author
