Sheriff: Man arrested in deadly Bartow County double shooting
BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. - Authorities in northwest Georgia said they have a made an arrested in a double shooting which killed a man and sent another man to an area trauma center.
Justin Lee Wade, 27, of Rome, was taken into custody in Rome just after 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said he was the gunman in a shooting earlier in the day in front of a residence along Franklin Drive off Cassville Road.
Deputies said around 2 p.m. they found one man dead at the scene and another man a short distance away. Both suffered from apparent gunshot wounds.
For William Lara and his family, the arrival of a multitude of Bartow County Sheriff deputies with weapons drawn around two in the afternoon signaled something was terribly wrong.
“Probably about 15 shots or more,” said Lara about the number of shots he heard.
The violence led to yellow crime tape sectioning off about half a block.
“Never all the time that I lived here I’ve never seen anything,” said Lara.
Investigators did not indicate what relationship if any, the two men who were shot had to each other.
The Bartow County Coroner identified the man who was killed as 57-year-old David Archer, who was a friend of Tina Shepherd who lives nearby.
“I just know he’s a good person he’s one of my friends and I just go see him once in a while but I haven’t seen him in a while,” said Shepard.
Still unclear what spurred the hail of gunfire which left one man dead and another fighting for his life.
“I mean it’s sad, prayers for their families is all I can say,” said Shepard.
Rome Police told FOX 5 News that Wade was arrested in the downtown Rome area walking down the sidewalk and was arrested without incident. Bartow County deputies took over custody of Wade from Rome Police at the Bartow County line. Wade was charged with murder and aggravated assault.
The name of the man who was taken to the hospital was not released.
The sheriff asks anyone with information to contact the Bartow County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division at 770-382-5050 ext. 6030.