DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — A quiet neighborhood in Dawsonville, Georgia is in shock after a Tampa man traveled there and allegedly killed his ex-wife and her sister on Thursday.
Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said Kelley McDonald Jr., 39, shot four people in the home before turning the gun on himself.
McDonald's ex-wife and her sister were both killed. McDonald shot and wounded a 16-year-old in the home and his 2-year-old daughter. Both were rushed to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, according to Jarrard.
The sheriff said the victim was hiding from her ex-husband but he tracked her down to the community about an hour north of Atlanta. Around 8:30 a.m., deputies responded to a call of shots fired. A 13-year-old inside the home during the shooting was able to escape and call 911.
Court documents show McDonald and his ex-wife divorced in October 2017. According to an active arrest warrant out of Hillsborough County, Florida, McDonald was wanted for attacking his ex-wife on December 30 inside her Tampa condo. The warrant was for domestic violence with strangulation and burglary with assault.
Tampa neighbors said they were friendly with the victim but noticed a lot of police going in and out of the home. They said she recently moved out. They were shocked and saddened to learn she was murdered.
McDonald’s mother spoke to Scripps station WFTS in Tampa outside her Tampa home. She said the family was “shocked and just learning of the news.”
Court documents show an emergency motion was filed on February 26 by the victim asking domestic violence injunction petition.
Lumpkin County Sheriff 's Office posted on Facebook that anyone seeking refuge for domestic violence in a community should always reach out to any local domestic violence organization they can contact.
The sheriff writing on Facebook, “If you have taken refuge in a community, I encourage you to reach out to the local law enforcement of that area so that they may be aware of any situations that might arise in order to keep you and your family safe.”
The names of the victims have not been released.
