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Authorities arrest a 21-year-old suspect in a triple homicide at a Georgia gun range

A 21-year old man has been arrested in connection with an April 8 fatal armed robbery at a Georgia shooting range that left three family members dead.

Jacob Christian Muse of College Park, Ga., was charged with three counts of malice murder in connection with the triple homicide and was booked into the Coweta County Jail Friday, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Authorities had been searching for a suspect since discovering the bodies of the owner of Lock Stock & Barrel Shooting Range along with his wife and grandson earlier this month in rural Coweta County, Ga., about 50 miles southwest of Atlanta.

As many as 40 guns and the range's surveillance camera were also stolen.

Grantville Police identified the victims as Thomas Hawk, 75; his wife, Evelyn, 75; and their grandson, Luke, 17.

Police Chief Steve Whitlock told The Associated Press that the Hawk family was well-known and well-respected in the small but tight-knit community. The family had owned and operated the shooting range for nearly 30 years, with their grandson helping at the store while on spring break.

The ATF was called in due to the large number of weapons stolen.

The GBI says the investigation remains active and ongoing and encouraged anyone with information to call or contact them online.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Jeff Dean
Jeff Dean is the 2021 Military Veterans in Journalism intern for NPR reporting for the Business Desk and Newsdesk teams.