Investigators are still trying to drum up leads in a series of vehicle shootings that took place in south Habersham on Dec. 30.
At least five vehicles were hit as they traveled through Cornelia and Mt. Airy. Several of the vehicles sustained heavy damage.
The sheriff’s office says the vehicles were hit by a pellet gun. They’re asking anyone with information about the shootings to contact them.
America Macias of Mt. Airy and Heather Dodd of Hollywood are two of the drivers whose vehicles were hit. Both were traveling toward Cornelia on State Route 13/Dicks Hill Parkway on Dec. 30 when someone fired on them. The shootings happened within two miles of each other just minutes apart.
Dodd’s truck was struck near the Lake Russell Convenience Store.
“I heard a loud bang on the side of my truck like it was hit by a rock at high speed,” says Dodd. “It never even crossed my mind it was someone shooting at me.” The projectile hit the hinge on the driver-side door, causing over $1,000 in damage.
Macias’ Toyota Corolla did not sustain that much damage but the experience was still unnerving. The shooter hit her car as she was passing by Ivy Hills subdivision. Macias says she “heard a big noise [that] kinda scared me but I thought maybe it was a rock.” She returned home to check for damage. When she realized what happened, she called 911.
“I was lucky enough [for it] to not hit my window but it was inches away from the window,” she says.
Both women reported seeing a white construction van pass by immediately after their vehicles were hit. Macias says it was traveling on Dicks Hill Parkway toward Toccoa.
Later that same evening, a white SUV sustained heavy damage when its passenger-side window was shot out near Auto Zone and Burger King on U.S. 441 Business in Cornelia.
Other incidents were reported in the area of Wayside Street and Level Grove Road in Cornelia.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office describes the shootings as “random.” They occurred over a span of an hour-and-a-half from the time Dodd’s truck was hit until around 7 p.m.
It’s still not clear whether the van Dodd and Macias saw on Dicks Hill Parkway is connected to the shootings. The sheriff’s office and Cornelia Police are investigating. If you have any information that will help them, please contact the sheriff’s office at 706-839-0500 or call Habersham County 911 at 706-778-3911.
You may also send an anonymous message to the sheriff’s office website at www.habershamsheriff.com/contact.
