Husband tells wife to run before he is shot and killed

HAPEVILLE, Ga. — Hapeville police said Stuart Walton died after being shot outside of his home on Dorsey Road during an attempted robbery Tuesday night.

According to a police report released to Channel 2 Wednesday afternoon, the victim's wife, Lydia Walton, told police that she and her husband had just pulled into their carport and were confronted by two men with guns as they got out of their car around 9:45 p.m.

Lydia Walton told police she heard her husband say, "What do you want?" to the men.

According to the report, the men wanted Stuart Walton to open the door to the house.

"Run. Run away," he told his wife, according to the report.

As she ran away she said she heard her husband being shot and stated that the men ran off.

Lydia Walton eventually got into her house and locked herself inside until police arrived.

Meanwhile, the report states that Stuart Walton ran to his neighbor's house yelling for help and ultimately collapsed in another neighbor's yard.

Walton was declared dead inside an ambulance on the way to Atlanta Medical Center.

"My car was here and my lights were on so I guess he thought someone was home so he came for help," neighbor Ramah Skillon told Channel 2's Shae Rozzi.

Skillon said she was at a prayer meeting when the shooting happened and came home to find her road blocked off.

After 4 a.m. police allowed her back home and she saw evidence of Stuart Walton trying to come to her house for help.

"There was blood all on the side of the car and in the driveway and still some on the window," Skillon said.

Rozzi and her photographer saw firefighters at the scene Wednesday cleaning up blood from outside the Walton residence, Skillon's home, a neighbor's yard and the pavement on Dorsey Road.

"I heard the gunshot go off," neighbor Mary Rainwater told Rozzi.

She says she didn't know it was right outside her home and that the gunshot she heard ultimately took her neighbor's life.

"It's really sad and unfortunate but times are hard and people are doing desperate things," she said.

Hapeville police said Lydia Walton was not physically injured during the ordeal.

"I think it's terrible. I really feel sorry for the family," Rainwater said.

Police are now teaming up with Crime Stoppers of Atlanta offering a reward of up to $2,000 that will lead to an arrest and indictment in this case.

If you have any information on this case, please call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.

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WSBTV