Shooting suspects at large

By Michael Butler

A manhunt continues in East Tallassee as suspects in a shooting incident are on the loose.

At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a Dixie Circle resident was awakened by intruders on his property.

Tallassee Police Chief Jimmy Rodgers confirmed the report stating that the activity was behind the homestead.

"Armed, he pursued them," Rodgers noted.

Shots then ensued between both parties.

"The (property owner) was struck in his left arm," added Rodgers. The injury is not life threatening.

The trespassers fled through a wooded area on foot.

Donna Kent lives two blocks from where the activity took place.

"What woke me up was my dog was at the door with a low growl. I couldn't get the door opened fast enough, when she went ballistic," Kent said. "Initially, I heard two guns shots. Then I heard two more. My clock read 3:34 when I heard the first shots. The next shots were muzzled, so I knew it wasn't the same gun."

Authorities are searching for two male subjects, who were wearing blue jean shorts. Their race is uncertain.

Kent said she noticed two individuals in blue jean shorts on her street the previous day.

"They were white males," she said. "When they saw me they turned around and walked in the other direction."

Whether or not the perpetrators were able to get to a vehicle is being investigated while authorities have set up a perimeter for a search effort.

"I heard a sound of a car struggling to take off and screeching tires," Kent noted around the time of the shooting. Just moments later police were sweeping the area.

"Last year, there were shots fired from vehicles at 4th and Redden," Kent recalled. "It was over drugs."

Kent has attempted to bring back a neighborhood watch.

"We tried to initiate it again. There was interest. When we met with police, nobody showed up. It's sad, very sad."

Anyone with information about the Dixie Cirlce shooting or the suspects involved are urged to contact the Tallassee Police Department at 334-283-6586 or the secret witness line at 334-283-3683.

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