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Police: Former NASCAR driver killed after attacking estranged wife with hatchet

FILE - In this July 19, 2014, file photo, John Wes Townley speaks at a news conference after qualifying for the Arca Racing Series auto race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Former NASCAR driver Townley was killed Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in a shooting in Georgia that also wounded a woman, investigators said. Townley, 31, died in the shooting in a neighborhood around 9 p.m., Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson told the Athens Banner-Herald. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
by: WRTV Staff
Posted: / Updated:

Authorities in Georgia say former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley was fatally shot on Saturday as he attacked his estranged wife and another man with a hatchet.

According to Athens police, officers arrived at a residence and found Laura Townley, 30, and John Townley, 31, shot.

Police said John Townley showed up at the house occupied by Laura and Zachary Anderson, 32, with a hatchet.

During the altercation, Anderson fired several shots from his gun, striking John and Laura.

Both victims were transported to a nearby hospital, where John was later pronounced dead. Laura was seriously injured, but she is expected to survive, police said.

According to NBC News, John drove a car owned by his father, Tony Townley, who co-founded Zaxby’s restaurant chain.

The Associated Press reported that Townley made 186 starts across the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series, whose only career win was six years ago.

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