Coffee County shooting suspect on the run - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Coffee County shooting suspect on the run

Posted: Updated:
By Taylor Sanders - email
Police respond to Grove Mobile Home Park Police respond to Grove Mobile Home Park
Shooting suspect fled the scene Shooting suspect fled the scene

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DOUGLAS, GA (WALB) -

A huge manhunt is underway for a suspect who authorities believe shot four people in Coffee County. The victims were air-lifted to nearby hospitals but now police are on foot, searching for the shooting suspect.

"About 3:30 4 o'clock that there had been shots fired and when we got here we found that four hispanic males had been shot," says Coffee County Sheriff, Jerry Pope.

Police responded to Grove Mobile Home Park right off Highway 441 to find a bloody crime scene, but the biggest question was where was the shooter?

"He ran across the highway and through a peanut field and then hit about 25 hundred, 3 thousand acres of woods, real thick woods," says Pope.

Police believe a man by the name of Benjamin Mara a.k.a. David Rios is responsible for the shootings. He's medium height and has a beard and was last seen fleeing the crime scene. Police say they are doing everything they can to catch him.

"We have the choppers looking for him, state patrol, the game warden, the prison dog, everybody we can get, got a big perimeter about 3 thousand acres of woods that we're trying to keep closed in."

Coffee County Police brought in GBI agents for extra help and say they believe the shooting might have sparked from an altercation the night before.

The names and conditions of the four victims are not being released at this time.

Anyone with any information about the suspect is encouraged to call the Coffee County Sheriff's Department.

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