Police: 3 Dead in Gun Range Shooting; 40 Weapons Stolen

Police: 3 Dead in Gun Range Shooting; 40 Weapons Stolen
Law enforcement agents investigate the scene of a fatal robbery at Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range in Coweta County, Ga., on April 8, 2022. (Clay Neely/The Newnan Times-Herald via AP)

A couple and their grandson died after an armed robbery at a gun range in Grantville, Georgia, authorities said.

The shooting range is in rural Coweta County, about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.

The Grantville Police Department said via Facebook that the robbery occurred Friday evening.

When officers arrived at the scene around 8 p.m., they discovered the bodies of the owner of Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range, along with his wife and grandson.

According to WSB-TV, Grantville Police identified the victims as the gun range owner, Thomas Hawk, 75; his wife, Evelyn, 75; and their grandson, Luke, 17.

Police Chief Steve Whitlock said the Hawk family was well-known and well-respected in their small, tight-knit community. The Hawks had operated Lock Stock & Barrel for nearly 30 years. Their grandson was on spring break, helping his grandparents at the shop.

“It’s really hard because, you know, we don’t have stuff like here in Grantville like that. I mean, this is a nice, quiet little town,” Whitlock said.

Whitlock said investigators believe the robbery and shooting happened around 5:30 p.m. Friday, which is when the range normally closes. He said Hawk’s son, Richard, came by the business and was the person who found the victims.

There are no suspects as of early Saturday, and no arrests have been made, he said. Investigators said that as many as 40 guns and the range’s surveillance camera were also stolen.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating, but when contacted Saturday referred all inquiries to Grantville Police. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also called in due to the amount of weapons taken. Whitlock said he’s grateful for the help from other law enforcement agencies in the investigation.

A reward of $15,000 has been posted for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers in the case, according to the ATF Atlanta office’s Twitter feed.

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