KATHLEEN, Ga. — Three people are in jail and one man is recovering in the hospital after a shooting and car chase in Houston County Thursday afternoon.
According to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, it all began with an argument between two men -- Jaquuan Gatewood and Javonte Gray -- at a home on Solomon Road in Kathleen.
Investigators say shortly after the argument, Gray along with his mother Cherry and sister Decora, went back to the house to confront Gatewood.
During the confrontation, the Gray family members allegedly began destroying property and tried to get inside the house. That led to the physical assault of the homeowner, 70-year-old Betty Ivory.
A man, identified as Tafarod Maybank, came to help Ivory. The sheriff’s office says Decora pulled out a gun and shot Maybank.
After the shooting, the Gray family drove away from the scene in a blue Mitsubishi and a lookout was issued to law enforcement.
Two deputies saw the car on Ga. Highway 127 near Perry. The family kept going when the deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop, and a chase began that ended at a hotel on Valley Drive.
Gray, his mother and sister were taken into custody, and the deputies found two small children in the car. They were unharmed and taken into protective care.
Maybank was taken to the Medical Center, Navicent Health for emergency surgery. He is listed in stable condition.
Decora Evans is charged with aggravated assault and burglary (party to a crime).
Javonte Gray and his mother, Cherry, are both charged with burglary and battery to a person over 65.
The case remains under investigation.
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