4 people allegedly killed by 16-year-old in Whitfield County identified
DALTON, Ga. - A teenager is in custody after Whitfield County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered four men shot to death at Pleasant Grove Park in Dalton over the weekend.
Deputies responded to the area around 11:14 p.m. on Saturday after receiving a call that shots had been fired in the area.
One woman who lives across the street from the park described the gunfire as "massive."
"I heard four random gunshots around 10. I called 911 and reported it, they said they would send someone out," she said.
A short time later, the woman said things had gotten much worse.
"At around 11, 10 after 11, I heard massive amounts of gunshots going off. It was like if you didn't know the difference, it would have been like fireworks, that’s what you thought you would’ve heard," she said.
Deputies who responded found three men and one teenager dead in the park.
"They found the bodies of four deceased Hispanic males. Sadly, they are of a very young age," said Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood.
The victims have been identified as 21-year-old David Antonio Delgadillo of Dalton, 19-year-old Joshua Pedro Pelico-Pelico of Dalton, 18-year-old Robert Valencia of Rome and 17-year-old Daniel Segura-Cruz of Rome.
Authorities say they believe the deadly violence started as an attempted robbery that turned into a shootout and that it was not gang-related.
"There were multiple weapons involved. We know that because of the multiple shell casings that were located on the scene," Chitwood said, adding that one of the groups had contraband in their car.
"Very, very tragic, very tragic," he said.
Chitwood also confirmed they have made one arrest so far. A 16-year-old from Rome was taken into custody and charged with four counts of felony murder.
The Sheriff's Office asked the public for help locating two vehicles that were connected with the shooting - an SUV and a dark-colored hatchback vehicle. The SUV was later found, and FOX 5 cameras saw it being towed to the Sheriff's Office by GBI agents. The vehicle had multiple bullet holes on one side.
Saying that she was "scared to death," the woman who lived near the park is just glad none of the bullets came into her home.
"They sounded so close like they could’ve very easily come in one of our windows," she said. This is an ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office at 706-278-1233 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 800-597-8477.