Police ID woman killed while sleeping at Gwinnett extended-stay hotel
Gwinnett County police have identified a woman who was killed early Tuesday morning when bullets entered her room at an extended-stay hotel in the Lilburn area.
Christine Walker, 64, was asleep when someone fired multiple rounds into her room at the InTown Suites on Stone Mountain Highway, police said in a news release. She was hit and killed by at least one of the rounds.
Investigators believe the shots were fired from outside the room and do not know if Walker was the intended target. She was found dead inside her room when officers responded to the hotel, located about halfway between Lilburn and Snellville, about 4:30 a.m.
“At this time there is no information about a suspect, why this occurred,” Gwinnett police spokesperson Cpl. Michael Truesdell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from the scene. “All we know is that a bullet entered a hotel room and struck this female early this morning.”
Investigators are working to determine “where the shot came from, who it came from, and why,” he said.
The Lilburn woman’s death has been ruled a homicide, Truesdell said.
“Our crime scene unit and homicide investigators are on scene doing the interviews, collecting evidence, doing everything they do to start finding some answers this morning,” he said Tuesday.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett detectives at 770-513-5300. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website at atlantapolicefoundation.org.
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John Spink is a multi-platform photojournalist with the breaking news team. He provides compelling photos, video and audio from breaking news events for the AJC and media partners WSB Channel 2 Action News & WSB Radio
