News / Society

Georgia police identify man who killed 2 adults, 2 children, self

Sunday, 08 February 2015 9:28 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 08 February 2015 9:28 PM ]

Police stand outside a home during an investigation of the shooting scene where authorities say five people are dead, including the gunman, in Douglasville, Georgia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015.

US police say they have identified the gunman who went on a shooting rampage on Saturday afternoon in the state of Georgia, killing his former wife, her boyfriend, and two children before taking his own life.

Authorities said on Sunday that the deadly incident occurred in a quiet neighborhood of Douglasville, located about 20 miles (32 km) west of Atlanta.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said the shooter, Cedric G. Prather, 33, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his ex-wife’s house where the massacre took place.

The sheriff's office also identified the adults killed as Latoya Andrews and Joseph Terry Brown, both also 33.

The office said that a 7-year-old child died at the scene whereas a 9-year-old passed away at a hospital, adding that two other children, an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old, were also shot who were in critical but stable condition.

Randy Daniel, coroner for Douglas County, Georgia, said Prather was found dead with the other victims inside the house who all were shot in the head.

A neighbor who lives right across the street in the quiet Amber Forest neighborhood said, "I was sitting in my living room and heard the pow,"

"Then I heard the little girl screaming, and then four more shots. It was the worst thing I ever heard in my life," Teresa Carter said.

Every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in the United States. The US averages 87 gun deaths each day as a function of gun violence, with an average of 183 injured, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control.

A non-profit website called Gun Violence Archive has recorded over 4,000 gun incidents in the country in 2015 (as of February 6). According to the website, 1,207 people have lost their lives to gun violence during the first 36 days of this year.

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