Police: 77-year-old Rome man robbed, fatally shot
ROME, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Residents in one Rome neighborhood said they are deeply disturbed by the vicious slaying during a possible home invasion of a 77-year-old man battling cancer.
Rome Police said the deadly shooting happened the day after Thanksgiving at the home of Hugh Don Wyatt on East 15th Street. Neighbors told police they saw someone running from Wyatt’s home and Wyatt bleeding in his front yard.
Witnesses described the person running from the home as a young black male with short dreads in a red and yellow jacket and carrying a black backpack.
Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry but someone ransacked Wyatt’s home and pulled open his drawers.
A heartbroken Joy Young talked to FOX 5’s Patty Pan about her longtime friend. She said Wyatt was diagnosed with lung cancer and had just received his last chemo and radiation treatments, waiting for the results to come back when he was targeted for the crime.
Young described Wyatt as a great, really nice, loveable man who was also good-hearted. She speculated as to how someone could be so heartless and cruel to him. She also added that the whole neighborhood has been on edge after his murder.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact Investigator Aaron Thacker at (706) 238-5126 or anonymously at (706) 236-5000.