Deputies identify 3 people dead in double murder-suicide
BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office released the names Monday of the two people murdered by a gunman who took his own life.
Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap identified the victims as 34-year-old Nayeli Fernandez-Diaz and 42-year-old Matthew McArthur, both of White, Georgia.
According to a news release, Fernandez-Diaz and the shooter, 37-year-old Jose Flores-Neve of Kennesaw, were married but had been separated since last year.
According to investigators, evidence and eyewitnesses said Flores-Neve followed Fernandez-Diaz and McArthur in his vehicle when the couple entered the dead-end Gray Road off of Old Rudy York Road on Saturday afternoon just after 4:30 p.m.
According to the news release, Flores-Neve confronted the pair armed with a rifle and pistol, fired a number of shots and shot them, and turned the gun on himself.
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Neighbors heard several gunshots and came outside to find three people with gunshot wounds. Tiffany Morgan, who lives nearby, said it was a tragic scene to witness.
"It was not pretty," said Morgan.
Morgan said she saw two cars facing each other stopped in the road. One of those cars was riddled with bullet holes. When Morgan walked up to one of the cars, she saw a man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The second car also had one man in it – dead from gunshot wounds.
"It looked like they were trying to get away from him, and came to a dead end street, and then backed up and were face to face," said Morgan. "The windshield of the car that tried to get away was shot up. There were multiple shots," Morgan said.
When Morgan got to that second car, she saw a young woman nearby who was still alive with gunshot wounds and calling for help. Paramedics did not make it in time to save her.
"I'm not used to people having a shootout and killing," said Morgan. "Three people are dead today, and why? Why? Was it jealousy? It's terrible."