GORDON, Ga. — People in Gordon are shaken after a string of weekend shootings. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations says the town of about 1,800 saw three over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the city is nearing three weeks with a third of its police force out on administrative leave.
"People are just scared, because we don't know what's going to happen next," said Alicia Floyd, who's lived in Gordon nearly 60 years. "There's people that don't want to come out of their homes."
Floyd believes Chief Mike Hall and Assistant Chief Andy Hester being on administrative leave invited more crime to Gordon. Right now, there are only four officers for the entire city.
"[It] opened our city up for more crimes. They know we don't have the proper law enforcement to back them up," Floyd said.
Hall and Hester are on leave for allegedly violating state law while working a call at New Corinth Green Grove Baptist Church. Members of the congregation asked the two to be present while they voted to oust their pastor in June.
Now, the former pastor is suing the church, claiming they didn't follow proper procedures. The suit names Hall and Hester, and it alleges they used their power to influence church business.
Mayor Aprill Adside-Smith says she doesn't believe the suspensions have anything to do with the crime trend.
"That's not the reason why things happen, because the police chief is not here, or the assistant chief," she said.
Adside-Smith says she understands people are worried, and that she's working to make the city safer.
"We are working diligently to bring in some safety measures to prevent this from going any further," she said.
We asked the mayor what specific actions she has in mind, but she could not elaborate; and people like Floyd say Gordon won't feel safer without its top cops back on the job.
"Leaving us sitting in the city, worried about being shot up, and not putting Andy and Mike back on duty, to do their job," Floyd said.
When Hall and Hester first went on leave, Mayor Adside-Smith said the GBI was being called in to investigate. The agency says they're not investigating anyone from the Gordon Police Department, because it appears to be a civil matter.
They also say citizens cannot request GBI investigations, including mayors.
We asked Mayor Adside-Smith about the next steps in that investigation, but she declined to comment.