Woman mourns family tragedy following shooting at Haralson County home
Aunt says 21-year-old died in his sleep
The aunt of a 21-year-old found dead in his bed and a 20-year-old rushed to the hospital after being shot in the head says she doesn't believe their grandfather was the one who hurt them. Their grandfather committed suicide in front of responding deputies. Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened.
HARALSON COUNTY, Ga - A 20-year-old with autism remains in critical condition after a shooting in Haralson County.
Deputies found the young man shot in the head and his brother dead inside their great-grandfather’s home Thursday.
Miranda Smith said she believes her grandfather killed himself in a moment of despair after one of her nephews died in his sleep. She said her other nephew is currently at Grady Memorial Hospital.
"This was so much tragedy that I feel we could have avoided," Smith said.
MULTIPLE PEOPLE FOUND DEAD AT HARALSON COUNTY HOME, GBI ASKED TO ASSIST IN INVESTIGATION
In one afternoon, Smith's family was hit with three heart-wrenching tragedies.
"I think everybody is still very much in shock," she detailed.
The death of her nephew Dillon Dobbs , her grandfather Nathan Larry Mayfield's suicide as well as the near-fatal shooting of her other nephew Joseph Dobbs.
Smith said Mayfield raised both of his great-grandsons, both of who were diagnosed with autism.
"I feel like mental health has played a major part in this whole event," she detailed.
It was around lunchtime Thursday when the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office said someone called them to Mayfield’s house on Moeser Road for a possible shooting.
When an officer with Tallapoosa Police arrived, investigators said the 74-year-old came outside with a gun and shot himself in the head.
"I think the sight of my nephew Dillon lying there deceased was too much for him. It was too much for him to handle and when you get into that state of mind where everything turns black, there's no coming out of that state of mind and the only thing you want to do is just escape," Smith detailed.
She said her grandfather found Dillon's body after he died in his sleep.
She said the 21-year-old had a heart condition and likely had COVID-19 after two other relatives contracted the virus.
Once on scene, deputies found his younger brother Joseph clinging to life after he was shot in the head.
"It could be something where he simply fell and hurt himself, or it could have been something where there was something going on between him and my grandfather. Hopefully, we can pray this was a complete freak accident, and it wasn't my grandfather. In my heart, I don't believe that it was him,' Smith mentioned.
According to Smith, the GBI is still trying to determine whether Mayfield shot Joseph before killing himself.
"There's still a lot of questions as to what happened. Unfortunately, the only person who can really tell us what happened is someone who is non-verbal," she detailed.
The family is now trying to raise money for Dillon’s funeral as they continue to grieve this situation.
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