FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. - A fatal shooting outside a Fannin County church has left one man dead and another behind bars facing a murder charge.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has stepped in to take over the active investigation.
What we know:
Fannin County 911 dispatchers received an emergency call early Thursday morning regarding a shooting at the Bethel Baptist Church in McCaysville, according to the GBI.
When Fannin County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the church, they found 29-year-old Austin Teems of Blue Ridge suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
First responders pronounced Teems dead at the scene, authorities said.
Authorities took 29-year-old Nicholas Rogers, also of Blue Ridge, into custody at the church.
Following the initial discovery, the sheriff's office requested the GBI to assist with the death investigation.
State agents arrested Rogers and charged him with felony murder and aggravated assault.
Rogers was booked into the Fannin County Jail, and the GBI Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy on Teems' body.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the underlying motive behind the shooting or whether the two men knew each other prior to the encounter. Investigators have also not disclosed how many shots were fired during the early morning confrontation at the church.
What's next:
The investigation into the shooting remains active and ongoing. GBI agents and local investigators are continuing to process physical evidence and interview potential witnesses before turning the complete file over to prosecutors.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.