April 25, 2009 11:38 PM
- Text
Ga. Professor On The Lam After Shooting
(AP)
Authorities were on a nationwide manhunt for a University of Georgia professor in the shooting deaths of three people, including his ex-wife, Saturday at a community theater near campus.
Athens-Clarke County Police Capt. Clarence Holeman said authorities were searching for a suspect, 57-year-old George Zinkhan, who has been a marketing professor at the university in Athens since the 1990s, and lived about seven miles from campus.
Killed were Zinkhan's ex-wife, Marie Bruce, 47, Tom Tanner, 40, and Ben Teague, 63, Holeman said. Both men were involved with Town & Gown Players Inc., a local theater group in Athens, about 70 miles east of Atlanta.
The shooting happened outside the Athens Community Theater during a midday gathering of the theater group. Holeman said the shooter left his two young children in the car when he opened fire on the group. A neighbor of Zinkhan's in nearby Bogart said the professor later dropped off the children with him next door and left after saying there was an emergency. The children were with police.
Shortly after the incident, the university issued a campus-wide alert as a precaution. Authorities searched Zinkhan's office, but there were no immediate signs of him on campus.
The group's performance Saturday night of "Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure" was canceled. Tanner, who was among the dead, was set to play Dr. Watson in the play.
Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson said the three victims were shot multiple times. Two other people were injured by shrapnel and their conditions were not immediately known.
Two different guns were involved in the shooting, and neither was recovered at the scene, Holeman said. Investigators searched Zinkhan's two-story colonial in a tidy middle-class suburb of Athens, but did not find the two weapons, Holeman said.
Authorities issued a nationwide alert for Zinkhan and his 2005 red Jeep Liberty. Authorities learned that Zinkhan has a house in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and were keeping a lookout at airports, Holeman said.
"Anyone who shoots three people is dangerous, that's the best way I can put it," Holeman said.
Holeman said there were no confirmed sightings of Zinkhan and that the professor had not used his credit card or ATM to the best of their knowledge. Also, police in Austin, Texas, have been alerted since Zinkhan has family there, Holeman said.
"We're doing everything we can to shut him down," Holeman said. "I believe he will turn up somewhere, somehow."
Holeman said there was some sort of discussion, possibly a disagreement, between the shooter and one of the victims when the shooting took place. Police said they received a call of a shooting at the theater about 12:25 p.m. Holeman said a motive wasn't immediately known.
Neighbor Robert Covington said Zinkhan dropped his son and daughter off at his house after noon. Zinkhan asked the Covingtons to watch the children for about an hour and then left. Covington described Zinkhan and Bruce as still living together in the house.
Police later took the children, along with Covington's wife, to the police station, Covington said.
Zinkhan was quiet and introverted, but Covington said would never suspect something like the shootings.
"It's a pretty huge shock," Covington said.
Dana Adams lives across the street, but said she didn't know Zinkhan well. She described him as "kind of a strange character," who would sometimes walk off in the middle of a conversation. "But I would never suspect this," Adams said.
She said SWAT teams had swarmed the neighborhood and police had hidden in her backyard. Covington called his neighborhood "police central."
Zinkhan has been a professor in the Terry College of Business, university spokesman Pete Konenkamp said. He didn't have any disciplinary problems.
Athens-Clarke County Police Capt. Clarence Holeman said authorities were searching for a suspect, 57-year-old George Zinkhan, who has been a marketing professor at the university in Athens since the 1990s, and lived about seven miles from campus.
Killed were Zinkhan's ex-wife, Marie Bruce, 47, Tom Tanner, 40, and Ben Teague, 63, Holeman said. Both men were involved with Town & Gown Players Inc., a local theater group in Athens, about 70 miles east of Atlanta.
The shooting happened outside the Athens Community Theater during a midday gathering of the theater group. Holeman said the shooter left his two young children in the car when he opened fire on the group. A neighbor of Zinkhan's in nearby Bogart said the professor later dropped off the children with him next door and left after saying there was an emergency. The children were with police.
Shortly after the incident, the university issued a campus-wide alert as a precaution. Authorities searched Zinkhan's office, but there were no immediate signs of him on campus.
The group's performance Saturday night of "Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure" was canceled. Tanner, who was among the dead, was set to play Dr. Watson in the play.
Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson said the three victims were shot multiple times. Two other people were injured by shrapnel and their conditions were not immediately known.
Two different guns were involved in the shooting, and neither was recovered at the scene, Holeman said. Investigators searched Zinkhan's two-story colonial in a tidy middle-class suburb of Athens, but did not find the two weapons, Holeman said.
Authorities issued a nationwide alert for Zinkhan and his 2005 red Jeep Liberty. Authorities learned that Zinkhan has a house in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and were keeping a lookout at airports, Holeman said.
"Anyone who shoots three people is dangerous, that's the best way I can put it," Holeman said.
Holeman said there were no confirmed sightings of Zinkhan and that the professor had not used his credit card or ATM to the best of their knowledge. Also, police in Austin, Texas, have been alerted since Zinkhan has family there, Holeman said.
"We're doing everything we can to shut him down," Holeman said. "I believe he will turn up somewhere, somehow."
Holeman said there was some sort of discussion, possibly a disagreement, between the shooter and one of the victims when the shooting took place. Police said they received a call of a shooting at the theater about 12:25 p.m. Holeman said a motive wasn't immediately known.
Neighbor Robert Covington said Zinkhan dropped his son and daughter off at his house after noon. Zinkhan asked the Covingtons to watch the children for about an hour and then left. Covington described Zinkhan and Bruce as still living together in the house.
Covington said when he asked Zinkhan's daughter, who is about 10 years old, about the emergency "all she would relate to me was there was something about a firecracker."
Police later took the children, along with Covington's wife, to the police station, Covington said.
Zinkhan was quiet and introverted, but Covington said would never suspect something like the shootings.
"It's a pretty huge shock," Covington said.
Dana Adams lives across the street, but said she didn't know Zinkhan well. She described him as "kind of a strange character," who would sometimes walk off in the middle of a conversation. "But I would never suspect this," Adams said.
She said SWAT teams had swarmed the neighborhood and police had hidden in her backyard. Covington called his neighborhood "police central."
Zinkhan has been a professor in the Terry College of Business, university spokesman Pete Konenkamp said. He didn't have any disciplinary problems.
- 1
- 2
- Next Page »
Latest Now in National
- Man to face Alabama trial in wife's diving death
- Whitney Houston's final performance
- Remembering Whitney Houston 1963-2012
- Screenplay for Murder
- Extra: Jimmy Siokos on Mark Twitchell
- Extra: Chris Heward's bizarre experience
- Extra: Drive with a killer
- Whitney Houston dies at 48
- Evening News Online, 02.11.12
- Video: Whitney Houston's ups and downs
- Chicago to design vehicle sticker itself
- US sex abuse lawsuit against Vatican dismissed
- American flight makes emergency landing in Ky.
- US sex abuse lawsuit against Vatican dismissed
- Making the 1st ever US women's Olympic boxing team
- Ohio unemployment hits 3-year-low
- Some glimmer of hope in Ohio employment
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Man to face Alabama trial in wife's diving death
- Jokinen, Iginla lift Flames over Canucks in SO
- Key dates from Whitney Houston's life and work
- Houston remembered at Clive Davis gala
on Facebook
- Adele sings a cappella for Anderson Cooper
- Occupy protestors kicked out of CPAC
- CPAC: Will Sarah Palin spring a surprise?
- Beyonce and Jay-Z post first photos of Blue Ivy Carter
on CBS News
