By Joe Johnson
Two men and a woman were arrested Wednesday night for recklessly firing guns in a Winder subdivision where two homes were struck by bullets, according to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred while authorities were searching for armed robbery suspects who were thought to still be possibly armed.
The robbery occurred Wednesday afternoon in the Bellingrath Plantation off state Highway 211 near Hal Jackson Road.
But a manhunt for five juvenile suspects focused on neighborhoods east of the Giles Road residence where two of the suspects were arrested, and from where the other three fled into nearby woods.
The search lasted through Thursday afternoon, until all five suspects were in custody.
However, as deputies were searching Wednesday night, they responded at about 7 p.m. to a report that a bullet had been fired into a home on Ora Lee Lane, according to a Barrow County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
There were also reports that people were shooting guns in the area of 542 Dunahoo Road, according to the report, and when searching the area deputies learned that a second home had been struck multiple times by bullets.
Sheriff Jud Smith said that deputies who were searching for the armed robbery suspects took cover when they thought they were being fired on.
The shooting incident was not related to the earlier armed robbery
One of the shooters, 19-year Andrew Lee Archer of Bowling Lane was found at the Dunahoo Road location, and two more were located at Archer's home.
They were identified as Krysta Breanna Walker, 24, of Royston and Jarrod Ira Beaty, 20, of Athens.
All three admitted to have been shooting “one of the multiple firearms located” at the scene, according to the report.
Archer, Walker and Beaty were each arrested and charged with reckless conduct, and also second-degree criminal damage to property because the cost of the damage they caused to the two homes exceeded $500.
As of Saturday afternoon, all three offenders continued to be held in lieu of bond at the Barrow County Detention Center.