Sheriff: 16-year-old boy arrested after 4 people found dead in northwest Georgia park

DALTON, Ga. — A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on murder charges after three men and a 17-year-old boy were found dead in a park near the northern edge of Dalton, Georgia, authorities said.

The teen, from Rome, Georgia, is charged with four counts of murder, Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood told reporters at a news conference Sunday evening.

Officers were called to Pleasant Grove Park around 11:15 p.m. Saturday after receiving reports of shots fired. When they arrived, they found four Hispanic men dead, authorities said.

The victims were two Dalton men, ages 19 and 21, and two Rome men, ages 17 and 18.

The motive appears to be a robbery, possibly involving “contraband” found in a vehicle, the sheriff said. He did not specify what the items were.

“We have absolutely no reason to believe this is gang related,” Chitwood said. “We believe this is unfortunately a very isolated incident.”

Chitwood said multiple weapons were used in the shooting, based on shell casings recovered at the scene. He described the case as “very, very complicated” and said investigators were working to learn more about the circumstances.

The park is located approximately 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist local authorities.