Paulding man charged with murder after neighborhood shooting

A man was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder after sheriff’s deputies say he opened fire in a Paulding County neighborhood late Friday night.

Residents in the Fox Ridge subdivision in Dallas called 911 just before midnight after Jody Thomas Wales, 56, allegedly shot two people in two houses, officials said. They were both critically injured and taken to the hospital, where 73-year-old Larry Thomas Wales, Jody Wales’ father, died of his injuries.

The other victim remained in critical condition Friday, according to the sheriff’s office.

Other residents subdued the suspect until deputies arrived and arrested him, officials said.

Investigators do not know the motive behind the shooting, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office confirmed.

Jody Wales was charged with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and battery, and two counts each of burglary and criminal damage to property, according to the sheriff’s office.

About the Author

Alleged killer confesses in 2011 homicide of Coweta high school student

Scotty Smith has been charged with murder in 2011 killing of Blake Tyler Chappell, Newnan police say.

North Georgia officer shot in line of duty to be released from hospital

Capt. Brantley Worley remains in critical condition after incident in McCaysville, which is near the Georgia-Tennessee border.

Armed man shot, killed by Atlanta police outside Midtown hotel, officials say

Officers got a “person armed” call at the 14th Street hotel in Midtown shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The Latest

Credit: TNS

Mother imprisoned more than a decade gets bond ahead of possible new trial

Fulton sheriff: ‘People will continue to die’ if city ends jail lease

‘Never had the evidence’: Georgia man acquitted of murder in twisty cold case

Featured

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com

A Braves fan took a ball to the face. The team may be liable, judges say.

The Atlanta Braves and former right fielder Jorge Soler face a lawsuit by a fan hit in the eye with a ball during a World Series game at Truist Park in 2021.

Joro spiders multiply across Georgia, spinning their pesky webs

The invasive species has multiplied rapidly in Atlanta in the last three years, research shows.

Ford settles billion-dollar Georgia lawsuits over fatal wrecks

Ford Motor Co. has settled two Georgia lawsuits that elicited record-setting jury verdicts of $1.7 billion and $2.5 billion, ending more than a decade of litigation.