Man faces 15 felony counts after firing shots with assault rifle at homes on Larchmont Drive

by Cam McCann

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - A 20-year-old man faces 15 felony counts after police say he shot at multiple houses and cars with an AR-15 on Larchmont Drive.

Chatham County police identified the man as Edwin Aburto Torres.

Shots fired around 2 a.m.

Police said the shooting happened around 2 a.m. Residents on Larchmont Drive told WTOC they do not know why it happened.

Makiah, a Larchmont Drive resident, described the moment officers arrived at her home.

“We just woke up and it was just ‘get on the ground, get on the ground,’” Makiah said.

Broken glass now covers her backyard, and multiple vehicles were damaged.

“The detectives are saying that they came from that street from behind, as you can see the gate is kind of down so I don’t know if he came through that way or came through that side. I have no clue,” Makiah said.

Makiah said her mother was awake when the shooting started. Her family went to a bathroom and stayed together as shots were fired.

“We’re not the only house but we’re the main house because it happened in the front and in the back,” Makiah said.

Gunman pointed weapon at officers, police say

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said when officers arrived on scene, the gunman pointed his weapon at them before dropping the rifle and running on foot. Officers arrested him without additional gunfire.

“So for them to be able to apprehend the subject, we didn’t fire any rounds at the individual and he thankfully didn’t fire any rounds at us and take him into custody is pretty remarkable. Having been in those situations in my career and knowing what it takes to have to have that presence of mind, you’ve got a lot of things going on, your mind can go in a lot of different ways if that had ended tragically,” Hadley said.

Hadley said shootings like this are uncommon in the Larchmont Drive neighborhood.

“It seems to be an aberration for that area, but it only takes 1,” Hadley said.

WTOC obtained footage from a house behind where the shots were fired showing officers searching the area after the arrest.