Apr. 3—VALDOSTA — Homicide has been ruled out in an early March shooting incident that left two men dead in Valdosta.
At 3:34 a.m. March 24, police headed to an apartment in the 1100 block of Slater Street on a report of a shooting, a Valdosta Police Department statement said.
Inside the apartment, they found two 20-year-old men dead from apparent gunshot wounds, police said.
Evidence and witness accounts showed that the men were lifelong friends who had come to Valdosta just hours before to visit someone at the apartment, police said. Neither was a Lowndes County resident.
One was dead from an accidental shooting while the other died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the statement said.
The firearm connected to both shootings was recovered at the scene, and detectives determined it belonged to one of deceased males.
Police said the names of the victims will not be released at the request of the families.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the families who are grieving and processing this tragic event, as they have lost two young men who had promising futures ahead of them,” said Police Chief Leslie Manahan.
Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.
