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Wife’s friend intervenes in dispute and is shot dead, Georgia cops say. Husband charged

A Georgia man is accused of shooting and killing his wife’s friend after a dispute, deputies said.
A Georgia man is accused of shooting and killing his wife’s friend after a dispute, deputies said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A fight between a husband and his wife ended with her friend shot to death, Georgia deputies told news outlets.

Now, Rick Reed is charged with murder and other offenses in the Dec. 17 incident, The Atlanta-Journal-Constitution reported, citing the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were called just after midnight about a domestic dispute at the couple’s home in Villa Rica, a department spokesperson told the newspaper. They saw “a body on the ground” and several people gathered near the road.

Authorities identified the victim as Abraham Suarez Santiago, WSB-TV reported.

Deputies spoke to Reed’s wife, who said she and her husband had gotten into an argument, according to the station. Authorities didn’t describe the nature of the dispute.

McClatchy News reached out to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office for more information Dec. 19 but didn’t immediately hear back.

Santiago, who was a friend of the woman, arrived to help after the couple fought earlier that day, WAGA reported, citing deputies. An argument began between Reed and Santiago, and Reed fatally shot his wife’s friend, authorities told WAGA.

He was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault, online records show.

Reed remained in custody at the Paulding County Jail without bond as of Dec. 19.

Villa Rica is about a 30-mile drive west of downtown Atlanta.

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

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Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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