Suspect at large after fatally shooting 4 people in Hampton, Georgia, police say

Law enforcement is searching for a man accused of fatally shooting four people in Hampton, Georgia, Saturday morning, according to authorities.

The first call about the shooting came in around 10:45 a.m. ET, Hampton police Chief James Turner said at a Saturday afternoon news conference.

The incident happened in an area close to the Dogwood Lakes subdivision in Hampton - about 29 miles south of Atlanta - an area that features lake-front homes and a nearby baptist church.

Turner said the victims were all adults, three men and one woman. He added authorities were not releasing the names of the victims to allow the families to be notified.

Since the shooting, "all hands have been on deck," Turner said.

Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett said an arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect on murder charges.

Addressing the suspect, he said, "We will hunt you down in any hole you may be residing in and bring you to custody."

He added the sheriff's office is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the suspect's arrest. "The suspect is known to be armed and dangerous," Scandrett said.

Authorities believe the suspect is driving a 2017 black GMC Acadia with license plates DHF 756, which is not his own vehicle.

The sheriff's office is working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as well as police departments across the Atlanta metro area to track down the suspect, according to Scandrett.

Turner said investigators "do not have a motive at this time" for the killings. There are at least "four crime scenes that we're actively investigating," he said. He added that police do not believe the suspect is related to the victims but authorities are "still investigating."

At the news conference, Hampton Mayor Ann Tarpley said "today is a sad and somber occasion" and vowed the person responsible would be held responsible and "brought to justice."

"We ask that you lift up the families and the victims in your prayers, your thoughts, and that you give them the privacy that they may need to overcome this horrific tragedy," she went on. "We have full confidence in our law enforcement that they will perform their duties and bring the suspect to justice."

Officials advised the public to avoid the area near the incident.

The shooting is one of at least 382 mass shootings in the United States in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter.