TOCCOA – Kenton Hall, the man accused of killing his wife and stabbing two of her friends, was shot by a Toccoa police officer after brandishing a knife Tuesday afternoon.
“At about 3 p.m. this afternoon, the officers with Toccoa Police Department responded to a 9-1-1 call near an abandoned factory on West Spring Street here in Toccoa,” said Special Agent in Charge Jesse Maddox of the GBI’s Athens office.
“A civilian called 9-1-1 when he recognized Kenton Deshawn Hall,” Maddox said. “Hall, 48, of Toccoa, was wanted for murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault. When officers arrived on scene, Hall was armed with a knife. During the encounter, one of the officers that arrived fired twice at Hall, striking him once.”
That incident happened between 3 and 3:30 p.m.
Hall was taken to an area trauma center, where he was listed in stable condition Tuesday night.
“No officers were injured, and the civilian [who reported Hall’s location] was not injured,” Maddox said. “The GBI out of Athens is working the officer-involved shooting incident and will provide the case file to the Mountain Judicial Circuit district attorney when it’s completed. Toccoa Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation continue to work the murder investigation, along with the other charges.”
Warrants were obtained Tuesday charging Hall with the kidnapping and murder of his wife, Patricia Hall, 49, of Toccoa. Her body was found about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in a heavily wooded area off East Franklin Street, Toccoa, about 2.5 to three miles from where the officer-involved shooting occurred, according to Toccoa Police Chief Jimmy Mize.
Mize said it appears Patricia Hall did suffer some stab wounds and some cuts to her body, but an autopsy at the GBI State Crime Lab in Decatur will determine the cause of death.
The wooded area where Patricia Hall’s body was located is 0.5 mile to one mile away from the Mill Street address where the stabbings occurred.
Additionally, Kenton Hall is charged with two counts of aggravated assault for stabbings involving Robert Maxwell, 64, and Nancy Johnson, 66, both of Toccoa. Maxwell remained in critical condition Tuesday.
Johnson was able to give a description of the incident and provide Hall’s name, Maddox said.
Mize offered some insight into what might have led up to the stabbings and death.
“It appears at this point that it is a domestic issue between Mr. and Mrs. Hall, and Mrs. Hall had taken refuge at her friends’ residence there at 162 Mill St.,” Mize said.
Asked if there was a history of domestic trouble between the Halls, Mize said, “Not a very long extensive, but there appears to be some in their past. Earlier in the day, the two had been arguing and it appeared that they may have been arguing over a vehicle and marital property,” Mize said.
Hall is on active felony probation and warrants have been issued through that agency as well, Mize said.
