A Dawsonville man remains in jail following the deadly shooting of his wife in the parking lot of a Dawson County fire station Monday night.
At a press conference Tuesday morning, Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson identified the suspect as Jeremy Wade Gibson, 44, and the victim as Amy Alexandria Gibson, 44.
Johnson said the victim apparently had gone to Fire Station #7 on Dawson Forest Road to get help. Her husband followed her and opened fire on her vehicle.
"At the time of the shooting, there were two young children in the car - we believe the ages are 8 and 5 - they were in the back seat of the [victim's] vehicle," Johnson said.
The children were not injured and Johnson said they were released into the custody of the Department of Family and Children's Services.
Johnson said the couple had a history of domestic problems, although he declined to offer specific information to reporters. He said he was unsure of the circumstances that brought the victim to the fire station on Monday night.
Dawson County Fire and EMS Chief Danny Thompson said a firefighter was outside the station with his family when Mrs. Gibson arrived. She asked for help, but did not say why, so he called to another firefighter inside the building to assist her and then stepped back outside, according to Thompson.
"When the shooting occurred, he had his wife, children and mother-in-law at the station with him at the time," Thompson said. "His kids, like a lot of kids, wanted to see the fire trucks, so he was there taking time with his family...during this event."
Thompson called the incident "a very dangerous situation" for all involved.
"Firefighters across this country are unarmed," Thompson pointed out.
Johnson said once the shooting happened, Mr. Gibson put down his gun and "stayed put" until deputies arrived.
Dawson County District Attorney Lee Darragh said a court appearance for Mr. Gibson had not been scheduled at press conference time. He said the suspect will face a long list of charges.
"Right now, all of the appropriate charges are under consideration," Darragh said. "Certainly there will be a murder charge and related charges to that, there will be some firearms charges, there will be charges related to cruelty to children."
The deadly incident was reported at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
