Man found dead along Covington road

COVINGTON, Ga. - Deputies have opened a homicide investigation after a man was found dead on the side of the road early Sunday morning and now they want to track down the victim's vehicle. 

According to the Newton County Sheriff's Office, they responded to a report of a possible heart attack victim off Lower River Road in Covington at around 7:00 a.m. Sunday.

When deputies arrived, they found a man unconscious and not breathing on the side of the road.  He had been shot multiple times.  The victim, according to deputies, was a Hispanic man is his late 40s.  He was last seen leaving work around 11:30 p.m.

Neighbors said they heard gunshots in the area Saturday night.

A woman who did not want to be identified said she was sitting in her parked car nearby when a dark, newer model car pulled to the side of the road. 

"I was like scared to get out [of] the car last night.  It happened so fast," she recalled.  "The car had stopped.  You could see the headlights and they got out [of] the car and like, four or five gunshots had went off last night and [there were] cars going around it [be]cause the car was still parked in the road and after that he quickly sped away."

Late Sunday, investigators issued a "be on the lookout" for the victim's missing SUV.  It is a black, 1999 Ford Expedition and the driver's side window may be missing.  The license plate number is AWW4152

Neighbors said the area is usually quiet and they were shocked to hear about the man's death.

Anyone with information in the case should call Crime Stoppers or the Newton County Sheriff's Office Investigations Division at 678-625-1400.