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Masked man shoots and kills car dealership worker, Georgia cops say. Now he’s charged

A man faces multiple charges including malice murder in the shooting death of a woman at a car dealership in Snellville, Georgia, on Dec. 9, police said.
A man faces multiple charges including malice murder in the shooting death of a woman at a car dealership in Snellville, Georgia, on Dec. 9, police said. AP

A 23-year-old man is facing multiple charges, including murder, in the shooting death of a woman inside an Atlanta-area car dealership, Georgia authorities said.

Courtney Owens, 34, was shot to death on Dec. 9 while working at the Royal Court Motors car dealership in Snellville, outlets including WSB and WAGA reported, citing Gwinnett County police.

Witnesses told police a masked man walked into the business around 2:30 p.m. and opened fire before running away.

On Jan. 6, police arrested and charged 23-year-old Wesley Vickers of Lilburn, the department announced in a Jan. 9 news release. He was booked into jail on charges of aggravated assault, felony murder and malice murder in connection to Owens’ death.

Authorities haven’t identified a motive but said it’s possible “the suspect may have been known to the victim or business.”

Vickers remained in the Gwinnett Detention Center without bond as of Jan. 10, online records show.

Police said the shooting remains under investigation.

Snellville is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

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This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Masked man shoots and kills car dealership worker, Georgia cops say. Now he’s charged."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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