A Georgia man abducted his 1-year-old daughter and fatally shot her before turning the gun on himself behind a church on Sunday, according to a report.
Responding officers discovered the bodies of both 38-year-old Darian Javaris Bennett and his daughter, Jaquari Bennett, behind the church in Clayton County, WSB-TV Atlanta reported, citing the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
The night prior to killing his daughter and himself, Darian Bennett shot the child’s mother and grandmother at a Covington home before fleeing with the child — and prompting a state-wide Amber Alert, according to investigators.
The baby’s mother, 38-year-old Keashawn Washington, died of her gunshot injuries, while her 63-year-old grandmother, Peggy Burns, was transported to the hospital in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said.
Despite being shot in the head, the old woman was able to tell responding officers that Darian Bennett shot her and her daughter and kidnapped little Jaquari before she was rushed to an area hospital.
Bennett reportedly called 911 to confess that he planned to kill the baby and himself at 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators used GPS to track his vehicle and found it abandoned in front of Riverdale United Methodist Church. As responding officers were approaching, they said they heard multiple gunshots from behind the church and found the bodies of Bennett and Jaquari. No additional information was immediately available. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation.
