PRESS RELEASE
According to Sheriff Clark Millsap, just after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014, the Bartow County 911 Center began to receive calls of a man shooting persons at a home on Brent Circle.
Deputies and investigators responded with rescue personnel to the scene and as they did so, other calls began to come in to 911 about the shooter leaving and shooting at other persons.
The 911 Center received more than 10 emergency calls giving information about the shooter and his locations and actions.
The shooter, later identified as 20-year-old Austin Denzell Tyler of Cartersville, fired a pistol at a total of 12 persons and pointed his gun at several others during his 12-15 minute rampage.
Tyler drove to Milam Bridge Road in Euharlee where he attempted to shoot two men (one with minor graze wound and one uninjured).
During his travels, he attempted to carjack two vehicles before ramming into a victim and his grandson on River Oaks Drive in Euharlee and taking their Ford Explorer Sport TRAC. Responding units to the area spotted Tyler in the Ford on Euharlee Road at Ga. 113 in Cartersville.
When the units turned around to pursuit Tyler, he traveled on the wrong side of the road and struck a landscape trailer on Ga. 113 at Burnt Hickory Road.
Disabled from the accident, the Ford came to rest in flames from the accident.
Deputies approached with caution and seeing him injured, removed him from the vehicle to begin first aid.
Tyler had shot himself once in the head with his pistol prior to or after the accident and was pronounced dead at Cartersville Medical Center.
Among the victims, 63-year-old Royce Randy Hobgood of Euharlee was killed at Brent Circle during the initial incident.
Two other victims were shot and critically wounded at Brent Circle and are currently being treated at Grady Hospital.
An 18-year-old man was injured on Milam Bridge Road by a bullet grazing his hand.
He is currently recovering with his family.
The names of these men are not being released at this time.
Investigators discovered the pistol used by Tyler had been reported stolen from a vehicle to Euharlee Police in June 2014.
Investigators believe that this incident started from an argument between Tyler and one of the shooting victims on Brent Circle.