Arrest Made in Family's Gun Range Murders

Jacob Christian Muse, 21, has been charged with malice murder
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 9, 2022 3:35 PM CDT
Updated Apr 16, 2022 6:45 AM CDT
Gun Range Robbery Ends With Couple, Grandson Killed
Law enforcement agents investigate the scene of a fatal robbery at Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range late Friday, April 8, 2022 in Coweta County, Ga., about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.   (Clay Neely/The Newnan Times-Herald via AP)

Update: An arrest has been made in the shooting deaths of three family members at a Georgia gun range. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Jacob Christian Muse, 21, was arrested Friday and charged with three counts of malice murder. Grantville Police Chief Steve Whitlock did not discuss whether Muse knew Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range owner Thomas Hawk, 75; his wife, Evelyn, 75; and their teen grandson, Luke; all were killed April 8. "Even though he’s in jail and with warrants signed for murder, there's a lot more to work," Whitlock said. Muse, a College Park resident, is being held at Coweta County Jail. Our original story from April 9 follows:

Police are searching for at least one armed suspect in connection with the killing of the owner of a gun range in Georgia and his wife and grandson, authorities said Saturday. The Grantville Police Department posted on Facebook that the robbery occurred Friday evening. When officers arrived at the scene around 8pm, the AP reports, they discovered the bodies of Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range owner Thomas Hawk, 75; his wife, Evelyn, 75; and their grandson, Luke, 17.

Police Chief Steve Whitlock said the Hawk family was well-known and well-respected in the small, tight-knit community. The Hawks had operated Lock Stock & Barrel for nearly 30 years. Their grandson was on spring break, helping his grandparents at the shop. "This is just a shock to everybody in the community," Whitlock said. "We're trying to do the best that we can to figure this out." Whitlock said investigators believe the robbery and shooting happened around 5:30pm, which is when the range normally closes. He said Hawk's son, Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk, came by the business and found the victims.

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There are no suspects as of early Saturday, Whitlock said, and no arrests have been made. Investigators said that as many as 40 guns and the range's surveillance camera were also stolen. A reward of $15,000 reportedly has been posted for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers, and police are asking any witnesses to come forward. Whitlock said investigators have no video evidence to work with right now. The shooting range is in rural Coweta County, about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.

(More fatal shooting stories.)

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