The Dalton Police Department has charged two men for their roles in a Jan. 28th drive-by shooting near downtown Dalton.
Joshua Lee Edwards, 36, of Dalton was charged with two counts of aggravated assault. Gordon Ray Austin, 40, of Dalton was charged with being party to a crime (aggravated assault) and a probation violation.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Hamilton Street and Tyler Street near downtown Dalton on Sunday, Jan. 28. Shortly after 4 p.m., two men told police that they were walking together on the sidewalk when a pickup truck passed them and someone inside began firing shots at them. One of the two men was hit by a ricocheted bullet and suffered a minor injury. The other victim was uninjured and fled from the scene on foot.
After examining video and photos from cameras near the scene as well as performing numerous interviews, a Dalton Police Department investigator was able to determine that the vehicle was a white Ford F-150 driven by Edwards. The investigation showed that Edwards was driving his truck east on Tyler Street and apparently yelled something at the victims. The victims kept walking westbound towards Hamilton Street. The investigation shows that the F-150 then returned traveling westbound with Austin driving and Edwards riding in the passenger side. Edwards fired at least five shots at the victims. Investigators believe that the shooting was random, and both Edwards and Austin were unknown to the victims.
The Dalton Police Department obtained warrants for the arrest of Edwards and Austin on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 26. Austin was already in custody at the Whitfield County Jail on a probation violation charge and he was served with his warrant there. Edwards was arrested later Tuesday evening during a traffic stop on the Highway 41 bypass after an officer found that he had a warrant.