COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News got its first look inside the Cobb County home a gunman shot up more than a hundred times during couples’ game night.
A three-day manhunt for Cody Demmitt ended in Arkansas on Tuesday. The FBI is involved in the multi-state investigation.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The victims spoke to Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Chris Jose.
“I’ve never seen anyone shoot an AR 15 and a 12-gauge shotgun at the same time unless they were Rambo,” said Steve Boyd.
Boyd retired from the military never expecting to be caught in a warzone during couples’ game night. He believes there may be a second shooter due to the succession of gun shots on Westchase Drive last Saturday.
“You know, I got shot in the chest and one inch over, it would’ve been my heart,” said Boyd.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Georgia family says they’re stuck in a house infested with snakes, rats, cockroaches
- Still waiting on your unemployment to process? Here’s why the GDOL says it’s taking so long
- Heavy rain, strong storms possible to start Memorial Day weekend
Boyd is out of the hospital. He calls it a miracle, and so do his friends.
“A hundred shots. A hundred bullets,” said Brandon Lee. “He was there to kill us and execute us.”
The homeowner’s attorney gave Jose pictures that show the bullet holes inside the home. The victims told Jose there were 11 people at the party.
Demmitt is Justin Blair’s neighbor. He told Jose that Demmitt came to his house uninvited and they asked him to leave.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Blair and his friends were in the backyard when they heard a series of gunshots.
“We heard, Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!” said Blair.
After the first round of shots, Blair said everyone ran inside and took cover in different areas of the house.
“Now you hear rapid fire. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!” said Blair.
They dove for cover and called 911.
Neighbors told the victims they saw Demmitt drive by police around midnight on Sunday.
“The whole time we were telling them, the guy who shot us is across the street,” said Boyd. “Cobb County police definitely put people’s lives in danger by not alerting the public there’s an active shooter on the loose with an AR 15.”
Hours later, neighbors told Blair they watched Demmitt come back home.
“The police came to the house, knocked on the door. The wife answered the door and told them it wasn’t him. That it was her that pulled in the driveway,” said Blair. “The police department didn’t handle it correctly. I felt like they should’ve had somebody surveilling the neighborhood. If they would’ve had someone surveilling the neighborhood, they would’ve seen him when he came back home.”
Blair believes Demmitt hit the road later that day.
On Monday, Jose watched the Cobb Police SWAT team go into Demmitt’s house. Nobody was there.
Arkansas State Police captured Demmitt after he shot an officer and stole his unmarked patrol car south of Memphis on Tuesday.
“This individual is a thug and I’m so very happy and grateful that he’s off the street because we could’ve lost our lives,” said Lee.
Cobb police emailed Jose a statement:
We’re unaware of any such concerns being brought to us from any of the victims in this incident. With our responding officers wearing body worn cameras and all our 911 calls automatically recorded, we would be able to address any concerns they might have and research on their behalf. Outside any information they might have for investigators, I am available to speak with them regarding policies and any other operational procedures. We likely won’t publicly respond with any information about this case, but I am available to speak with any of the victims on overall operations and policies. The investigation itself remains open and active
.
©2021 Cox Media Group
