ADAIRSVILLE — Family and co-workers are mourning the loss of “a warm and caring woman” following her death early Thursday as part of a pre-dawn murder-suicide in Bartow County.
The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office said that Angela Player, 37, of Cartersville, was shot by her ex-husband, Robert Wade Brazell, 42, of Kingsland, while she worked Thursday morning as a clerk at Barnsley Gardens Resort in Adairsville. The two divorced just last month.
Deputies responded to reports of a female being shot at the luxury resort at 2:40 a.m. and discovered that Brazell had fled from the scene and into a wooded area next to the resort across Barnsley Gardens Road.
He refused to come out, and searchers eventually found Brazell dead from what officials called a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Player was taken by ambulance to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Officials said there were no other suspects in the incident.
Bartow County Coroner Joel Guyton reported that both Player and Brazell suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.
Barnsley general manager Michael Gordon expressed his sympathy to Player’s family and said the incident is a reminder of the serious nature of domestic violence.
“We grieve for the loss of our friend and colleague, a warm and caring woman who worked devotedly alongside us for nearly five years,” Gordon said.
During the search for Brazell, the Georgia State Patrol and one of the agency’s helicopters assisted the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office.
Deborah Stone of Pineapple Public Relations, which handles media relations for Barnsley Gardens, said the resort remained open Thursday and was never closed during the investigation of the incident.
That was evident by the appearance of golfers on Barnsley’s golf course by mid-morning.
Bartow County Sheriff’s Office officials said Thursday afternoon that the investigation is ongoing and no further information would be released at this time.
Previously posted 1 p.m.
Law enforcement officials have not released any new information on the apparent murder-suicide that occurred early Thursday morning at an Adairsville golf resort.
Bartow County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators were still on the scene around 11 a.m. and investigating the incident. So far, according to Bartow County Sheriff Clark Mill-sap, a man shot and killed a female clerk and then fled into nearby woods.
The male was later discovered dead due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Barnsley Gardens Resort is a close-knit family and this unprecedented tragedy is felt across the resort," said Michael Gordon, General Manager, Barnsley Gardens Resort. "We grieve for the loss of our friend and colleague, a warm and caring woman who worked devotedly alongside us for nearly five years. Our thoughts, prayers and support are with her family at this time. We want to thank the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism and expedient work this morning. This tragic incident serves to reinforce and remind us all of the serious nature of domestic violence."
Law enforcement were observed congregating around the maintenance building of the resort but later moved farther into the property.
An employee of Barnsley Gardens who identified himself as Wes was posted at the guard shack and said he could not give out any information.
The resort and golf course remained open today.
Posted at 8 a.m.
The Bartow County Sheriff's Office is investigating what they're characterizing as an apparent murder/suicide on Barnsley Gardens Road at Barnsley Gardens Resort early this morning.
According to Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap:
Deputies responded to the resort at 2:40 a.m. to reports that a female clerk had been shot. Deputies discovered that the male who shot her fled into nearby woods and refused to come out. Deputies were assisted by Georgia State Patrol and a GSP helicopter to attempt to locate the suspect. The male has been found killed by an apparent self inflicted gunshot. The female victim was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
No names are being released at this time.
No other suspects are at large and the incident is considered to be family violence related, Millsap said.