A deadly shooting near the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has left the Savannah community shaken after two men died in an incident that police are describing as an apparent murder-suicide.
Savannah police said officers received a 911 call reporting a shooting shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, August 27. Officers responding to the 600 block of East Broad Street found an adult man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.
Investigators determined that the suspected shooter had barricaded himself inside a nearby residence, prompting a major law-enforcement response in the area. Savannah Police Department SWAT officers and hostage negotiators responded, along with personnel from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, Savannah Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The standoff continued as authorities worked to secure the residence and resolve the situation. Officers eventually entered the home, where they found the suspected shooter dead from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther characterized the incident as an apparent murder-suicide. Mayor Van Johnson also said preliminary information indicated that the shooting appeared to have stemmed from a personal incident.
The identities of the two men had not been publicly released in the reports reviewed. Authorities have also not disclosed the nature of their relationship or provided additional details about what may have led to the shooting.
The incident prompted road closures and a significant police presence around the affected area as officers secured the scene and investigators began working to establish exactly what happened.
Although the shooting occurred near the SCAD community, available reports have not established that the incident took place on a SCAD campus or involved students, faculty or staff. Additional information would be needed before drawing a connection between the shooting and the university.
The deaths have left residents concerned and grieving as investigators continue examining the circumstances. For a community accustomed to the activity surrounding East Broad Street and the nearby downtown area, the heavy emergency response served as a stark reminder of the seriousness of the incident.
Authorities are expected to release additional information as the investigation progresses, including the identities of the deceased and further details about the events that preceded the shooting.
For now, the investigation remains ongoing, with officials working to piece together the circumstances that resulted in two deaths in Savannah. The apparent murder-suicide has left friends, neighbors and members of the wider community mourning two lives lost in a deeply troubling incident.
