Child witnesses deadly shooting inside quiet Flowery Branch home

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - A quiet Hall County neighborhood was left shaken after deputies say a man shot and killed a Gainesville woman before turning the gun on himself Saturday afternoon, leaving a young child unharmed but deeply traumatized.

Buchnell Court murder-suicide

What we know:

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the 5400 block of Bushnell Court just before 3 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found a 50-year-old woman dead at the doorway and the 51-year-old man dead in the basement. Investigators said a nine-year-old girl inside the home witnessed the shooting and hid in a closet before contacting a friend on FaceTime. That friend’s parents called 911.

Deputies said a nine-year-old child was inside the home at the time but was not physically harmed.

Investigators said the child witnessed the shooting and contacted a friend through FaceTime. The friend told her parents, who then called 911.

Investigators said the woman had been shot multiple times, while the man died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. Their names are being withheld until out-of-state relatives can be notified.

Neighbors say neighborhood is usually quiet

What they're saying:

Neighbor Juan Jimenez said the neighborhood was stunned when officers swarmed the normally peaceful cul-de-sac. "It was around like two, three o’clock, I believe. She said that she heard a couple of shots back-to-back-to-back, ‘boom, boom, boom,’" Jimenez said, describing what his wife heard from their home. "When we came out here, there was a lot of cops just lined up basically blocking the street. And we’re all kind of taken aback because, you know, it’s a really nice neighborhood. It’s super quiet. These kind of things are not normal for this neighborhood."

Jimenez said police surrounded a vehicle parked near the home and later towed it away. "When they put up the tape, they basically surrounded the whole car and went all the way around the house," he said. "When we came back around four o’clock, the car was gone."

He said his wife’s uncle was told by deputies to stay inside for safety as officers secured the area. "They were all very prepared," Jimenez said. "We were all inside just kind of looking through the windows wondering what was going on. Maybe 30-40 minutes after everything was happening, one of the officers came up to us and said everything was okay. So, I mean, obviously everything turned out not to be okay, but I think that’s what he ultimately meant, that we weren’t in danger."

Jimenez estimated at least a dozen patrol cars responded. "They got here quickly," he said. "There was a lot of them."

He said he did not personally know the victims but described the community as one where most neighbors keep to themselves. "It’s just extremely shocking," he said. "It’s so sad. There’s always an answer, but this is obviously not the way to go about it. Now there’s a kid that doesn’t have her parents and a community that’s just kind of confused and saddened by the events that took place."

What's next:

The Department of Family and Children’s Services was called to assist with the child’s placement. She was later released into the custody of a relative.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the apparent murder-suicide.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released the names of the man and woman involved or described their relationship. 

Investigators have not said what led to the shooting or whether there had been any prior domestic disturbance calls at the home. 

It also remains unclear how long the child had been inside the house before contacting a friend for help.