New details are coming out about a double shooting in the Five Points neighborhood on Saturday which left one man dead and a woman with severe injuries. The Athens Banner Herald reports that John Wes Townley, armed with a hatchet, engaged in an altercation at 240 Morton Avenue, with the house’s occupants, Townley’s ex-wife Laura Townley and Zachary Anderson, 32, of Dunwoody. During the affray, Anderson fired several shots from his gun. John Wes Townley died of his injuries. Laura Townley was injured but is expected to survive.
In 2019, John Wes Townley was charged with several misdemeanor counts, including family violence battery. He pleaded guilty at that time to disorderly conduct and was sentenced to a year’s probation. More recently, the Townley’s divorce was finalized earlier this year.
ACC police say that no charges had been filed as of mid-day, and the investigation continues.