The bait shop where the shooting allegedly took place (WSB-TV/screengrab); (left inset) Wayne Eaton (Newton County Jail), (right inset) Troy Eaton (in photo aired on WSB-TV)
An 85-year-old father in Georgia allegedly walked out of his house with a gun on Friday night and shot his own son to death in a bait shop while numerous fishermen were on the property for a tournament, leaving witnesses stunned and family devastated.
According to the Covington Police Department, defendant Wayne Eaton murdered 60-year-old Troy Eaton, a father of four and grandfather, just before 7 p.m. “inside a building on the property,” specifically a bait shop along the waters of the Lakeview Drive Tournament Lakes venue popular locally for weekly fishing tournaments.
Police said that the suspect was arrested at the scene and booked into jail in Newton County, where he faces charges of malice murder and possession of a firearm to commit the offense during the fishing tournament.
Investigators did not reveal any details about a possible motive or context about the lead-up to the shooting, but WSB-TV’s report on the tragic case said that “dozens” of fisherman were out on the water when they heard the slaying unfold.
The report said that Troy Eaton was the operator of Lakeview Drive Tournament Lakes and was well-known in the community for that reason.
The victim’s grandson Ethan Sanders told the local ABC affiliate that his loved one was a “great person, a great man, and he absolutely did not deserve this.”
Ethan Sanders speaks with WSB-TV about his grandfather’s death. (WSB-TV/screengrab)
Sanders added that the shooting has left everyone confused and shaken.
Local Fox affiliate WAGA, citing a police lieutenant, reported that Wayne Eaton surrendered and was arrested after a “short standoff” with authorities.
According the report, Troy Eaton’s daughter Heather said that her father has been running fishing tournaments longer than she’s been alive.
“I don’t know how to process it. Like at times, I just feel numb, like it’s not even real,” she reportedly said. “But it is real.”
The victim’s daughter Tiffany also said in a Facebook post that her father was “a mentor and the best friend anyone could ask for.”
“This man was the kindest, most genuinely decent man I’ve ever known. He would give until he had nothing left to give. He worked hours on end to keep Lakeview Drive Tournament Lakes running in honor of his mother,” she said. “There was no faking or pretending with my daddy. He was as fair as the word can get and he loved with his whole heart.”
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