Tragedy struck Rome, Georgia on Wednesday when Anthony Green, 56, fatally shot Cassie Davis, 39, as she waited in the drive-thru line at Chick-fil-A.
Following the shooting, Green fatally shot himself. Davis’s car rolled away from the restaurant, striking a power box before continuing into traffic, the New York Post reported.
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According to the NY Post, Floyd County Deputy Coroner Chris Giles has confirmed that Davis and Green were previously in a relationship. Assistant Police Chief Debbie Burnett confirmed that while the incident was still under investigation, the preliminary investigation determined the shooting was a murder-suicide.
“The incident is not related to Chick-fil-A but rather occurred on the property of the restaurant,” Burnett said, adding, “Prior to arrival, officers received more information that the incident was a shooting rather than an accident.”
Davis was raising seven children. According to 11 Alive, Jackson Davis, her ex-husband, said they’d formed a blended family during their 12-year marriage.
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“She had two boys when we got married. And then, we had two girls,” Davis said. “And then, this is the kind of person Cassie is, she took my granddaughter and my grandkids in. Grandkids that she didn’t have to raise. And she raised them as her own.”
According to Fox 5 News, the victim’s mother, Kathie Walters, said Davis had told her that Green was stalking her.
“He just wouldn’t leave her alone,” Walters said. “That’s one thing she told me yesterday, that he was following her around.”
Domestic violence experts state that evidence of stalking in a relationship, or post-breakup, may signify an increased risk for violence.
According to Law Enforcement Bulletin, nearly 600 murder-suicides occur annually in the United States, claiming approximately 1,000 to 1,500 lives. Sixty-five percent of these events are among intimate partners.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline recommends that individuals who feel that they may be at risk contact their local police, domestic violence aid, crisis shelters, and holiness for assistance. The hotline is available at 1 (800) 799-7233 and offers assistance to individuals with housing, shelter, childcare concerns, and more.
