Elementary School Shooting Suspect an 'Average Guy'

Michael Brandon Hill, 20, named as alleged Georgia gunman
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 21, 2013 4:52 AM CDT
School Shooting Suspect 'Average Guy'
This March 2013 booking photo provided by the Henry County Sheriff's Office shows Michael Brandon Hill.    (AP Photo/Henry County Sheriff's Office)

Neighbors of Michael Brandon Hill, the man who allegedly walked into a Georgia elementary school wielding an AK-47 and demanded to speak to a TV station, have familiar things to say about the suspect. Hill is "just an average guy," a man who lives across the street from the home Hill shared with five other people tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Other neighbors describe him as quiet and polite and say he could often be seen taking care of three children who apparently lived at the same address.

But Hill, who surrendered to officers after firing several shots at them, was no stranger to police, ABC reports. In March, he was arrested for alleged terrorist threats and acts and was sentenced to three years' probation and anger management. He now faces charges including aggravated assault on a police officer, terrorist threats, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and investigators say they're unsure of his motive. Hill lived about three miles from the school but no other ties to it have been uncovered. (More Michael Brandon Hill stories.)

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