Acworth man accused of killing ex-wife, capturing her mom has died – The Atlanta Journal Structure
An Acworth man accused of fatally capturing his ex-wife and severely wounding her mom died Monday after turning a gun on himself exterior a Paulding County retailer, authorities stated.
Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies responded to a house on Autumn Brook Drive in Canton simply earlier than 9:45 p.m. Sunday. They discovered Christopher Parrish Thomas II’s ex-wife, 30-year-old Victoria Thomas, useless from a gunshot wound in her mom’s home.
Her mom, 68-year-old Myrna Garcia, additionally was shot as she held her 4-month-old grandchild. The infant was unhurt, however Garcia was taken to a hospital and remained in crucial situation Tuesday.
A ten-year-old additionally was inside the house on the time however was not injured.
Christopher Thomas, 30, fled earlier than deputies arrived and was on the run till he was discovered at a Walmart in Dallas shortly after 6 p.m. Monday. He was affected by an obvious self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital, the place he died.
Earlier Monday, the car Thomas was suspected to be driving was situated in a Kennesaw residential space close to Due West Street. The automobile appeared to have been parked for a while.
A spokesperson confirmed that Christopher Thomas served within the U.S. Military from October final yr till March. He had no deployments and held the rank of personal on the finish of his service. The spokesperson declined to reveal the characterization of his discharge.
He was arrested Dec. 30 in Cobb County and charged with aggravated assault strangulation and battery of a pregnant particular person after allegedly choking Victoria Thomas, his spouse on the time.
Courtroom paperwork alleged he held her down on a mattress by her neck and choked her. He additionally put his hand over her mouth and nostril and punched her, which resulted in seen marks on her neck and a swollen black eye, officers wrote in a warrant for his arrest.
He was granted bond on the situation that he wouldn’t possess firearms or every other weapons “apart from the restricted and sole goal” of his army obligations.
Victoria Thomas then divorced him and moved in together with her mom, Channel 2 Motion Information reported.
Garcia is a pillar of the Latin American neighborhood and has labored for varied organizations, together with the Latin American Affiliation in Georgia.
The group’s CEO, Santiago Marquez, has identified Garcia for shut to twenty years. He known as her a constructive particular person and motivated, at all times in search of alternatives to assist the neighborhood, he instructed The Atlanta Journal-Structure.
The information took everybody abruptly, Marquez stated, including that it didn’t seem to be many individuals have been conscious of the potential hazard Garcia and her daughter confronted together with her former son-in-law.
“She’s at all times very comfortable and really forthcoming, so you’d’ve by no means identified what she was going by way of,” he stated. “I feel we’re all devastated. Somebody we contemplate a buddy and colleague goes by way of this, and I feel the violent nature of the scenario actually has us, I wish to say, on edge.”
If she survives, Garcia can have an extended journey forward after being a witness to her daughter’s killing.
“Being a father myself, I can’t even think about what that’s like,” Marquez stated. “The fact of the scenario is that there’s going to be loads of trauma. And, , how does one even get well — or not even get well, however go on with life after that?”
As they watch for an replace on her situation, the neighborhood is rallying in prayer and constructive ideas, and asking others to affix them.
“For these which can be believers, which can be individuals of religion, simply say a prayer for her and her household. For those who aren’t, preserve her in your ideas — push good ideas her approach. I do consider within the energy of constructive considering and the facility of prayer, and I feel that’s the perfect we may do proper now for her and her household,” Marquez stated.
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