Villa Rica shooting that sparked fatal standoff tied to homicide: sheriff

The Brief Douglas County investigators believe a Nov. 4 shooting that triggered a deadly deputy standoff is connected to a homicide discovered at the same Villa Rica property a day earlier. A man was shot and wounded outside a Conners Road home before the suspected gunman, 53-year-old Bradley Cox, barricaded inside and was fatally shot by SWAT deputies when he confronted them with a sword. The sheriff's office confirmed detectives are treating the aggravated assault shooting and subsequent standoff as linked to the Nov. 3 murder of Eugene Scales. DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - A shooting that left a man injured and sparked a deadly SWAT standoff on Conners Road is connected to an earlier murder on the same Villa Rica street, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. What we know: The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations are investigating three violent incidents that unfolded across 48 hours in the 8000 block of Conners Road. The sequence of events began on Tuesday, Nov. 3, when deputies responded to a suspicious death call and found Eugene Scales dead on the property. On Friday, the GBI Medical Examiner's Office officially ruled Scales' death a homicide. Around 6:30 p.m. the following day, Wednesday, Nov. 4, gunfire erupted at the exact same location. Responding deputies found an unidentified man who had been shot. Deputies administered aid until paramedics took the victim to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office stated that the suspected shooter barricaded himself inside. ORIGINAL STORY: Man armed with sword shot, killed by Douglas County deputies As deputies investigated the gunfire outside, they approached 53-year-old Bradley Cox at the scene. Cox retreated inside his residence and barricaded himself. After negotiations and chemical irritants failed to coax him out, SWAT deputies breached the house. According to the GBI, Cox confronted deputies in a hallway while brandishing a sword. Two deputies opened fire, killing him at the scene. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office confirmed that investigators believe the aggravated assault shooting of the wounded victim and the deadly standoff with Cox are directly linked to the murder of Scales the day before. What we don't know: Authorities have not identified the man injured in the Nov. 4 shooting or released a motive for the gunfire. Investigators have also not disclosed Scales' cause of death or stated whether Cox is officially considered a suspect in Scales' murder. The Source: Information in this story was provided in official releases from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Douglas County Crime and Public Safety News