A 29-year-old man was shot and killed by Hall Counties deputies after he allegedly killed his mother and critically injured his aunt.
Investigators believe John Hollis Pearce shot his mother, Mary Pearce, 66, with a small-caliber handgun and then stabbed her multiple times around 8:30 p.m. Monday in the Harbour Point Yacht Club, an upscale community on Lake Lanier northwest of Gainesville, Col. Jeff Strickland with the sheriff's office said.
John Pearce fired at least 20 shots inside the home and intended to set it on fire, but was apparently interrupted when his aunt, 66-year-old Gretchan Pearce, arrived, Strickland said.
"As she entered the residence, she was attacked by the perpetrator with a knife and stabbed several times," Strickland said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Gretchan Pearce was able to run to a home across the street, where a neighbor called 911. When deputies arrived in the subdivision off Dawsonville Highway, they were confronted by a nude man, later identified as John Pearce, heavily covered in blood walking outside.
"The perpetrator charged the deputies and was shot and killed," Strickland said.
Deputies found Mary Pearce, previously of Cobb County, deceased in her home. Gretchan Pearce was transported to Atlanta Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition.
The GBI is investigating the shooting, and the two deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave, which is routine for officer-involved shootings.
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