ATLANTA — The daughter of northeast Georgia man suspected of shooting five people to death before killing himself says her father was a “ticking time bomb.”
Lauren Hawes said Saturday that she and her 1-year-old daughter hid in a neighbor’s house – barely escaping with their lives – while her father, Wayne Anthony Hawes, 50, went on a rampage and killed five people, including her grandmother and cousin.
“He made threats before, but we never thought it would be at this capacity,” Lauren Hawes said. “He’s been kind of a ticking time bomb …”
Capt. Andy Shedd of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said the Friday night shootings stemmed from a domestic dispute that left three men and two women dead at two locations within about a mile of each other. The body of shooting suspect Hawes was recovered Saturday in his home in Appling.
Lauren Hawes confirmed that the bloodshed was connected to a domestic dispute between her parents: Her mother had walked out on her father just a week ago. Angela Dent had left before – but this time, she took her possessions with her to prevent Hawes from destroying them as he had done in the past.
Sheriff deputies responded to a home at about 8 p.m. and found three victims. Two other victims were found in a house nearby.
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