A Georgia man shot at seven cars and wounded two people while hiding in the woods along a highway on Friday. Rex Harbour fired at least 17 bullets from a 9-millimeter handgun into traffic on Georgia Highway 365 before retreating into the forest. There were no fatalities but when police caught up with Harbour, he turned his gun on himself.
Authorities are unsure of what specifically prompted 26-year-old Harbour to open fire on the commuters, but they have learned that the man was inspired by Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. The Sun Sentinel reported that a search of the home he shares with his parents uncovered hate-filled writings and documents which suggested Harbour’s affinity for Cruz .
While Harbour had no criminal history nor any record of questionable posts on social media, the shooter was said to have left behind a manifesto of sorts which revealed a closer look into his state of mind before the shooting. He reportedly had no affiliation with any violent groups.
At the scene, police found the landscaper’s Buick Century filled with an arsenal of weapons and ammunition. Harbour reportedly had a.22-caliber rifle, three 9-millimeter handguns, a BB gun, a 12-gauge shotgun, and more than 3,400 rounds of ammunition in his car. Sheriff Gerald Crouch of the Hill County Sheriff’s Department said that while his motives were unclear, the now-deceased gunman was clearly acting from a place of hate.
“What his motivation was other than just hate, we don’t know at this time,” Sheriff Couch said to reporters. “He had the weapons, the ammunition and obviously the will to inflict a lot of harm and a lot of hate.”
According to the 911 call placed by the wife of a 54-year-old victim, the onslaught began just before noon on Friday. Harbour struck a 73-year-old man in the leg, a 54-year-old man in the hip, and a woman was reportedly injured by shattered glass from her windshield. They are expected to recover from their injuries.
Hall Co SO: suspect 26 yo Rex Harbour fired 9mm handgun 17 times at cars on Hwy 365. Found 2 more handguns, 22 cal. rifle and 12 ga. shotgun in his car, along with thousands of rounds of ammo. Sheriff calls writings found idolizing recent FL mass shooter “disturbing” LIVE at 12p pic.twitter.com/WK1qQvgn0A
— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) May 5, 2018
With the help of a hunting surveillance camera, police were able to locate Harbour’s car and confronted him as he sped out of the woods. The gunman fired one shot into his head as he pulled out onto the road. He lost control of the vehicle which swerved into the median. Harbour was airlifted to a local Atlanta hospital but was said to die while en route.
