Ga. Professor On The Lam After Shooting

Three Dead, Two Hurt At Community Theater In Athens; Marketing Prof. Suspect At Large

(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.

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.

[winchester70]

but it was just one of those things. Cole Porter.

[schoollord]

winchester is soooooo pathetic!~ "LOL"

[winchester70]

It was just too good to last . 24+ hours without any blather from spamlord! I t was great while it lasted.

[schoollord]

Take a look at this folks!~

"FBI data shows that suspects on the watch list for terrorists and violent gang members make hundreds of gun purchases every year that are totally legal.

The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System Operations report said there were 230 legal purchases in 2006 by people on the watch list. There were 220 such purchases in 2005.

Under existing federal gun law, those buys are legal. Being on the watch list is not among the nine factors that disqualify someone from purchasing a gun -- like a felony conviction."

Sooooo...you can't buy a gun if you have a felony conviction but it is OK to buy guns even if you are on a terrorist list or you are a violent gang member as long as you do not have a conviction!~ Most terrorist do not have a criminal record. US gun laws are INSANE!~

[schoollord]

winchester said "The 18 hours and 13 minutes without your bloviating was priceless. Now go back under the bridge."

Wow winchester...you count the hours and minutes? You really need to get a life!~ "LOL" He can't live without me.

[winchester70]

Spamlord: The 18 hours and 13 minutes without your bloviating was priceless. Now go back under the bridge.

[schoollord]

hamiltongrad said "Guns don't kill people by themselves."

Don't you say. People can't shoot anyone dead without a gun.

Then he said "Guns protect those good people who have them against the scum."

According to the Department of Justice we have 30,000 gun-related deaths per year and just 250 lives saved with guns. They also report 1.7 million gun-related crimes per year but just 82,000 defensive gun uses mostly against unarmed criminals. Guns at home increase the chances of suicide, homicide, accidental death, and injury. How does that translate into "protection" baffles me.

Then he said "The trouble is, sometimes good people can go nuts, pushed too far, and "snap" . Did this happen here. We need to find out ."

Once again...criminologists say that most of these deaths are caused by people who have a grudge against someone and access to guns. People with a grudge but without access to guns beat people up or break their windows. People with a grudge and access to firearms kill them.

[schoollord]

hamiltongrad said "Guns don't kill people. Anti feminists do."

Guns are designed to kill people. People can't shoot dead other people without guns. Most anti-feminist who kill women use guns too. More than 2/3 of all spouses and ex-spouses killed are killed with guns.

[schoollord]

growlll said "I might point out that the guns at Columbine where not legaly possesed."

I might point out that most of the guns at Columbine were legally purchased.

Then he said "Shows what good stupid gun laws do for people that ignore laws."

There are more people who obey those laws than those who ignore them. No President ever has signed more gun laws than Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2000. For that same period the number of homicides and suicides with guns declined by 12,000.

Then he said "Guess thats why they are called "criminals".

But most gun-related deaths are not by criminals. They are by legal gun owners without a criminal record.

[hamiltongrad]

Guns don't kill people by themselves. Guns protect those good people who have them against the scum. The trouble is, sometimes good people can go nuts, pushed too far, and "snap" . Did this happen here. We need to find out .

[hamiltongrad]

Guns don't kill people. Anti feminists do.

[growlll]

I might point out that the guns at Columbine where not legaly possesed. Shows what good stupid gun laws do for people that ignore laws. Guess thats why they are called "criminals".

[schoollord]

I said "winchester is a loser!~

winchester said "The only true thing he has said in several months and a million posts."

OK!~ "LOL"

[winchester70]

spamlord said: "I won't even pretend to say I have a solution." The only true thing he has said in several months and a million posts.

[TheMasses02]

What about howitzers?

[schoollord]

growll said "What a totaly stupid idea. Limits on gun ownership? you can oly shoot one gun at a time."

Imagine the two shooters at Columbine with just one gun!~ Is that enough for you or are you thirsty for more? A killer on a killing spree with several guns. If one jams he will use the other. A burglar comes into your home and he steals only one gun thank to me. "LOL"

[growlll]

What a totaly stupid idea. Limits on gun ownership? you can oly shoot one gun at a time.

[schoollord]

rrozsa said "what is your solution? Are you in favor of unilaterally rescinding the 2nd amendment? Or having tougher screening prior to purchasing a gun? Or what???"

I won't even pretend to say I have a solution. But many times I have said that criminologists across the US recommend "reducing the prevalence of guns". The solution is simple and it makes sense. The less guns we have the less gun deaths we will have. We could do this without banning guns. We could start by limiting the number of guns one citizen owns. There's no need for anyone to own an arsenal of 10, 15, 20 guns. Second, we should ban weapons such as assault weapons and any type of rapid fire weapon. We should also close the gun show loophole, have waiting periods so we could conduct a deep background check on buyers to prevent the metally ill, the criminal, the wife killers with a restraining order from buying guns. That and many other recommendations from the top criminologists of the US!~

[rrozsa]

Ok, schoollord -- what is your solution? Are you in favor of unilaterally rescinding the 2nd amendment? Or having tougher screening prior to purchasing a gun? Or what???

[schoollord]

winchester said "The ROCKs are in my head and my @$$#0!e is SUCKing wind."

OK!~ "LOL"