Two dead, one hurt in apparent murder-suicide

ALBANY — Capt. Tom Jackson with the Dougherty County Police Department, who was still working the crime scene late Tuesday afternoon, confirmed that two people had died and and other was injured in a shooting incident at 3512 Hamilton Drive in southwest Dougherty County late Tuesday morning.

Jackson said county police would not release information about the victims or the incident until they had completed work at the crime scene and interviewed the victim who survived the shooting, but Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler identified the victims as Huey Neal, 77, and Jessie Neal, 71.

Fowler described the incident as “a likely murder-suicide.”

Jackson, though, said that Dougherty Police did not issue statements or the names of victims until its officers had gathered all available evidence and completed their investigation. Jackson said DCP would likely release a statement some time Wednesday.

“I can say that there are two deceased victims and another victim who received what I believe are non-life-threatening injuries,” Jackson said. “The victim who survived was transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital by ambulance, and I believe she has been transferred to a Macon hospital.

“It appears that the surviving victim is the daughter of the two who are deceased, but again, I’d rather not make any definitive statement until we’ve completed our investigation. We still have to interview the victim who was transported to the hospital. You can’t interview someone when they’re undergoing medical treatment.”