Robbers killed the owner of Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting, in Grantville, Georgia, along with his wife and grandson, the Grantville Police Department said in a statement on its Facebook page.
The robbery occurred between 5:30 and 6 p.m. when the range was getting ready to close for the day. Authorities were dispatched to the scene shortly after 8 p.m. and found that the robbers had fled the scene with the stolen weapons and the gun range’s security camera DVR.
Police did not release the names or ages of the victims, but the property records show that the range was owned by Tommy Hawk and Thomas Richard Hawk Jr., according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
As of Saturday morning, authorities have not yet identified any suspects or placed anyone in custody.
The crime is currently being investigated by the Grantville Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) due to the amount of weapons that were stolen from the scene.
Investigators are asking anyone who drove past the gun range on Friday night to contact police.
“Anyone having driven by the shooting range during the time frame of 530 p.m. to 630 p.m. that may have seen vehicles other than a white Ford dually truck and a black Ford expedition are asked to contact the police department. Please share, maybe someone will remember seeing something to assist with the investigation,” the Grantville Police Department added in its statement.
Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting is located about 50 miles southeast of Atlanta in Coweta County. According to its website, the range operates a 30-yard indoor pistol and centerfire rifle range, as well as a 50- and 100-yard outdoor range.
“Both of theses options are great to shooting with your friends or just get time behind the trigger,” its website says.
A number of local community members on Friday called the crime “devastating” and “tragic” while offering support for the victims and their families on Facebook.
“This broke my [heart] last night and such a senseless act for our community. This family was so nice and didn’t deserve it. Praying for #Justice,” wrote one user.
Since the start of 2022, there have been more than 11,500 gun-related deaths in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive. Late last month, a father and son in Houston, Texas, were similarly shot during a robbery at a self-service carwash. That same week, a man was killed in front of his wife and daughter during a robbery that took place in Los Angeles.
Newsweek contacted the Grantville Police Department for comment.
