Sheriff: Father kills 2-year-old son in Hall County murder-suicide

HALL COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what authorities are calling a murder-suicide that led to the death of a man and his 2-year-old son.

Deputies went to the 4800 block of Poplar Springs Road around 12:30 a.m. Thursday after a call about a man assaulting a 23-year-old woman and then leaving the home with the couple’s two-year-old son.

Deputies began to search the area for the suspect, Christian Castro, 24, and the child, Christian Castro Jr. They spotted Castro’s vehicle entering a property at 4799 Poplar Springs Road, which is adjacent to his residence.

Deputies identified the suspect as 24-year-old Christian Castro and the child as Christian Castro Jr. Deputies eventually found Castro’s car, but he fired gunshots at deputies as they walked up to the vehicle. No one was reported as injured from the shooting. 

A Sheriff’s Office hostage negotiator tried to contact Castro by phone but wasn’t successful.

Around 3:30 a.m., deputies heard gunshots and learned Castro had shot and killed his son, then turned the gun on himself. 

Both bodies were taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Laboratory for autopsy.

In response to the incident Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch released the following statement to FOX 5:

"This morning our Deputies responded to a domestic violence call that ended in the worst possible way, with the death of a child.  First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the child’s family, and we ask that our community do the same. During the course of this incident the perpetrator fired upon the Deputies, who in turn demonstrated remarkable restraint by not returning fire out of concern for the safety of the child.  They quickly contained the situation to ensure that no other lives were put at risk, and they undertook efforts to bring the incident to a peaceful resolution.  Unfortunately, the perpetrator did not allow that to happen, as he made the decision to take the life of his own son before taking his own. This tragedy, as well as last week’s fatal shooting, serve as a somber reminder of how serious the issue of domestic violence is in our community.  It is a rare day that an Officer in any jurisdiction works an entire shift without responding to a domestic-related call, many of which involve some form of physical violence.  This is why the partnerships we share with agencies and organizations that work to combat domestic violence are critical.  We want to emphasize that there is hope for those who find themselves in domestic violence relationships, as we have resources available that can be of assistance to victims to help them safely escape the situation, and hopefully avoid a tragedy similar to what we’ve seen today."

The incident remains under investigation.