A house guest suspected of fatally shooting three people in Gwinnett County remained on the run Wednesday, and police said they don’t know what prompted the triple homicide.
The suspected shooter, Robert Bell, 33, fled on foot, police said, after allegedly using a gun similar to an AR-15 to kill Raynord Daniel, 19, Angelina Benton, 34, and Benton’s 12-year-old son, Joseph McDonald.
Daniel, who was also a resident in the home, was the first victim in the Sunday shootings, Gwinnett police spokesman Jake Smith said, and the son was shot next. Investigators said Bell then allegedly chased Benton outside, where she was shot multiple times, like the other victims.
Benton’s boyfriend, Joseph Cato, 23, survived the slaughter. Officers found him in a ditch outside the home near Snellville where the shootings took place.
A neighbor witnessed the shootings, police said, and was the first to call 911.
Police suspect Bell may be headed to Chicago, where he’s from, or perhaps two other areas where he has connections: Crossville, Tenn., and Albany.
Before the shootings, police said, Bell picked up Benton in Albany, where she was visiting family. About two weeks earlier, Benton had opened her home to Bell and his wife, Danielle Hill-Bell, who had fallen on hard times, police said. Bell’s wife is not a suspect in the killings.
It was unclear how Bell, who weighs about 300 pounds, was traveling. He left his black SUV behind at the crime scene, where police said they found the suspected murder weapon.
“He may be taking public transportation or might’ve acquired a car somehow,” Smith said.
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