US: Gunman in south Georgia town kills three before shooting himself

At least four people were killed in a small city in rural south Georgia, United States, on Thursday (May 4) after a gunman shota fast food worker andtwo of itsrelatives, before taking his own life.

Colquitt County Coroner C. Verlyn Brock told The Associated Press, that the shooter killed hismother and grandmother at two neighbouring homes and killed a woman at a McDonald’s restaurant in downtown Moultrie.

The 26-year-old gunmanshot dead his50-year-old mother and 74-year-old grandmother at two neighbouring homes and killed a woman, aged 41,Brock told AP. He also said that allthree women appeared to have been shot multiple times.

The shooter was later identified asKentavious White whofatally shot hismanageridentified as 41-year-old Amia Smith, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Thesecurity camera footage from McDonald’s in Moultrie showed White, shooting the store manager after getting her to come to the door Thursday morning.

They also found two women related to White had been shot at neighbouring homes which were less than 3.2 kilometres away, said the GBI, in a statement on Thursday evening, adding thatone of the women passed awayafter being taken to a hospital.

Previously, the GBIsaid in a statement only that there had been “multiple fatalities” at different crime scenes in the area, reported the AP. The state'sleading law enforcement agency also saidMoultrie Police Department requested its assistance.

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An eyewitnessSabrina Holweger, as per AP, said thatpolice blocked off a main street that runs in front of the McDonald’s. According toHolweger, the woman who died at the restaurant was the early morning manager and that the shooter was an employee.

Brock told CBS News the shooter shot his mother and grandmother at their homes. The media report also said that his motherdied at the scene, but the grandmother, who lived next door to her daughter, was taken to the hospital and passed away.

In a statement,George Suarez, owner and operator of the McDonald’s in Moultrie, said that the restaurant will be closed until further notice. "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved restaurant manager, and our hearts go out to all the victims of this senseless act of violence," said Suarez.

The city where the incident occurred,Moultrie, is approximately three hours south of the state capital city ofAtlanta, where at leastone person was killed andfour others were injured after a shooting incidentin the waiting room of a medical facility.

(With inputs from agencies)

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