An Acworth man accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife and seriously wounding her mother was taken into custody Monday after shooting himself outside a Paulding County Walmart, authorities said.
Christopher Parrish Thomas II, 30, had been on the run since just before 9:45 p.m. Sunday, when sheriff’s deputies were called to a home on Autumn Brook Drive in Canton, according to a news release. They found his ex-wife, 30-year-old Victoria Thomas, dead from a gunshot wound in her mother’s house. Her mother, 68-year-old Myrna Garcia, was also seriously injured.
Two children, a 4-month-old and a 10-year-old, were also inside the home at the time but were not injured. Garcia, who was holding her 4-month-old grandchild when she was shot, was taken to a hospital in critical condition, the release states.
Cherokee County deputies arrived within three minutes of receiving the call, sheriff’s officials said, but the suspect had already fled. Authorities asked for the public’s help to locate Christopher Thomas, and for nearly 24 hours he remained at large.
Shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, Paulding County authorities responded to a suicide threat near a Walmart in Dallas, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker said. At that scene, they found Thomas suffering from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Thomas was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, but officials did not share further information about his condition.
Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
Earlier Monday, the vehicle Thomas was suspected to be driving was located in a Kennesaw residential area near Due West Road, officials said. Police searched the home where the vehicle was found but did not find him. The car appeared to have been parked for some time — long enough for the engine to have cooled off.
A spokesperson confirmed that Christopher Thomas served in the U.S. Army from October last year until March. He had no deployments and held the rank of private at the end of his service. The spokesperson declined to disclose the characterization of his discharge.
Christopher Thomas was arrested Dec. 30 in Cobb County for allegedly holding Victoria Thomas, who was pregnant at the time, down on a bed by her neck and choking her, according to court records. He also put his hand over her mouth and nose and punched her, officers wrote in a warrant for his arrest.
Officers noted she had visible marks on her neck and a swollen black eye.
He was charged with aggravated assault strangulation and battery of a pregnant person. He was granted bond on the condition that he would not possess firearms or any other weapons “except for the limited and sole purpose” of his military obligations.
The case is still making its way through the judicial system.
In an interview with El Nuevo Georgia, Monica Maldonado said Garcia had worked several years with the Latin American Association and that she was a mentor for her daughter. The association’s executive director, Santiago Marquez, said employees are devastated. Garcia was always active in the community and trying to help others, he said.
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