Athens woman seriously injured in her home by wayward bullet fired from outside

By Joe Johnson

An Athens woman reportedly was shot and seriously injured when a domestic dispute erupted in gunfire outside her home.

According to a press release issued Monday by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, officers responded at 1:52 a.m. to a report of shots fired on Burkland Drive.

When officers arrived, witnesses stated that a domestic incident occurred between a male and female outside of a residence, the release noted. “The man fired multiple shots but the woman was not injured, according to the release.

However, “Additional witnesses then told officers that a 27-year-old female in a nearby residence had been shot in the back.

“Officers responded to that scene and began first aid. Witnesses stated that the victim was inside the residence lying on a couch when she was struck by gunfire. EMS arrived and transported the victim to a local hospital with a serious injury.”

Additional information was unavailable because the report of the incident had yet to be cleared for public release by the police Records Division, according to Athens-Clarke County police Public Information Assistant Geof Gilland.

“ACCPD is investigating to determine whether one of the shots from the domestic dispute hit a young lady in a different residence located nearby,” Gilland said.

Police asked for anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Dara Deckert at 762-400-7198 or Dara.Deckert@accgov.com.