Shots Fired in Toccoa Neighborhood Friday Afternoon

Story by Jessica Waters

The 200 block of Valley Drive in Toccoa is a pretty, quiet street with green lawns, and American flags… but late this afternoon shortly after 4:30 PM the sound of gunfire broke out on that quiet street.

No official report has been supplied by local law enforcement as of this time, but several residents on Valley Drive told WNEG has their experience. “We were not home, but we could see on our security camera that there were law-enforcement officers coming through our carport, “said Scottie Elrod.

Elrod said they returned home but was stopped short of their home and told that there was an active shooter in the area and were turned away by local law-enforcement. They were only able to return to the home after local law enforcement officers and the GBI left the area. Elrod said that he did not see the shooter but did notice that the law-enforcement officers were armed, including an officer that looked to be carrying what Elrod said, “looked like an A.R. 15”.

“We were sitting in the living room and heard shots fired, and my son and I looked at each other and said, “was that really shots fired?’” said Brittany Walker, who lives across the street from Elrod. Walker said she heard six or seven shots, and when she opened her door, she did not see the shooter, but was told by law-enforcement to get back in her house and lock the door. Walker told WNEG that the individual had been running down Valley Drive and the officers were following him and that the shots were fired just steps past her yard. Walker also said that an officer had been hit by a “ricochet bullet,” but reported that the officer seemed to be unharmed.

Also, an unnamed bus driver confirmed that buses were called back to the high school during the incident.

According to reports the shooter was apprehended. WNEG will provide more details as they become available.