Georgia Briefs — Dec. 11, 2014

Police: Same gun used to kill 2 homeless people

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta police say the same gun was used to kill two homeless men who were shot as they slept, wrapped in blankets on the streets of Atlanta in separate slayings.

Now, police hope the bullets will lead them to the killer.

Atlanta police Det. David Quinn said Wednesday that law enforcement agencies nationwide have been alerted, but so far he’s heard of no similar crimes elsewhere.

Quinn says a bullet with an elongated shape — often called a “cowboy bullet” — was used each time.

In the first killing, Dorian Jenkins was found dead in a blanket on a sidewalk Nov. 23. In the second, Tommy Mims was shot multiple times while curled up in a blanket late Nov. 25 or early Nov. 26.

Man gets life sentence in killing of grandmother

GAINESVILLE (AP) — A Gainesville man accused of killing his grandmother has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to a murder charge.

The Times reports that 33-year-old Ronnie Quqomeki Rucker on Tuesday entered the plea in a Gainesville courtroom.

Authorities say the May 2 killing left 70-year-old Lula Bell Howard with six stab wounds.

Prosecutors say that after an argument about Rucker’s girlfriend, he picked up a knife and stabbed his grandmother. They say he then used his grandmother’s phone to call 911 before washing his hands.

Autopsy: woman found dead in Decatur was shot

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Decatur police say an autopsy confirms that a woman found dead behind a building in downtown Decatur died of a gunshot wound.

Sgt. Jennifer S. Ross tells WSB-TV that investigators are following up on every potential lead to try and find a motive and the person who killed 44-year-old Karen Pearce of Smyrna.

Pearce was a hairstylist at True Hair Salon & Spa in Marietta.

A police report states that Pearce had left a restaurant in the downtown Decatur area Saturday night. Shortly after that, witnesses reported hearing a gunshot.

Karen Pearce’s parents told WITN-TV that their daughter is from Kinston, N.C., and moved to metro Atlanta about a decade ago.

Accrediting agency approves Ga. school merger

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) — An academic accreditation agency has approved the merger of two metro Atlanta schools.

University System of Georgia officials say the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has given final approval to the plan to merge Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University.

State education officials announced plans to merge the schools in 2013. University System officials say the accrediting agency’s approval is the final step the Georgia Board of Regents needed to allow the consolidated school to officially operate as Kennesaw State University.

Officials say the board is scheduled to vote on the final recommendation for the schools’ consolidation during a meeting on Jan. 6.

University System officials say the merger will drop the number of institutions in the system from 31 to 30.

Civil rights leader Lowery recovering from surgery

ATLANTA (AP) — Civil rights icon the Rev. Joseph Lowery is recovering from surgery after fracturing his hip in a fall.

The Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Institute based at Clark Atlanta University posted an online statement saying that Lowery fell in his hotel room in Santa Barbara, California, on Sunday and underwent surgery the following day.

In Tuesday’s statement, officials said Lowery was in California for a gala hosted by Oprah Winfrey to honor civil rights leaders. Officials say Lowery is now in rehabilitation and is resting comfortably with two of his daughters by his side.

Lowery helped the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and fought against racial discrimination. Lowery also gave the benediction at President Barack Obama’s January 2009 inauguration.