Sheriff: Suspect sought after 5 shot dead in Georgia

APPLING, Ga. --Five people were shot dead Friday in northeast Georgia, and authorities were searching for a man believed to be responsible for the killings,CBS affiliate WRDW in Augusta reported.

The shootings took place at two crime scenes in the community of Appling, Columbia County coroner Vernon Collins told CBS News. Three victims were killed on Johnson Drive, two of whom died at the scene; the third died at the hospital.

Two other people were shot on Rosemont Drive, about a mile away, Collins said.

Captain Andy Shedd with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office told WRDW authorities believe one gunman was involved, identified as Wayne Anthony Hawes. The search for Hawes was ongoing.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told the station the shooting may have been related to a domestic dispute.

Collins said he was working to confirm the identities of the victims and that all five bodies would be going to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab.

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