Sheriff Darrell Dix, “According to the victim, he was in his vehicle, stopped at the light, when he was hit by one of several rounds he heard being fired. He rolled out of his vehicle to get away from the gunfire, and his vehicle crossed the median before coming to rest against a tree. The other vehicle sped away and the only description he could give was a small, SUV type vehicle.”
Two citizens who saw the victim waiving for help on the side of the road, stopped and stood by with him until EMS and Deputies arrived. Neither of them saw the actual shooting. Jones was transported to Henry Piedmont, and has now been released after his two gunshot wounds were treated.
“My Investigative team began processing the scene and canvassed the area later that morning to see if they could retrieve any video of the incident, and any other evidence At one business they were able to obtain blurry video of a small white SUV style vehicle recorded just after the shooting occurred. The Flock System was queried for matching vehicles in that area on that date and time, and a vehicle fitting the description was identified.”
“Because of that identification, Investigators were then able to link a white Dodge Challenger that was registered to the same owner, to an incident on June 19 of this year where shots had been fired at another vehicle in the same area. On that occasion, the victim stated that she was on her way to work at approximately 4:00am, and as she turned North off of Vineyard Road, a white Challenger or Charger turned in front of her and slowed down. Thinking it was having mechanical issues, she signaled, passed the vehicle, and returned to her lane of travel. As she was turning onto Birdie Road from 19/41 she heard several gunshots. She did not report the incident at the time it happened, and continued on to work. We did not get notified of the incident until almost 2:00pm that afternoon. A total of three (3) shots struck her vehicle.”
“Based on what we had learned while investigating the incidents, we began surveillance on the suspect’s residence where the small van was located, and had marked
units in the 19/41 Birdie Road area watching for the Challenger. We located it south bound on 19/41 heading back toward Griffin, and we conducted a traffic stop as it neared Vineyard Road.”
“Deputies detained the driver, identified as Darlene Harden B/F 46, who is the registered owner of both suspect vehicles. After being advised of her rights by Investigators during an interview, she admitted that she fired the shots in both incidents.
At the time of these shootings, Harden was out on bond from another shooting incident that occurred inside the City of Griffin.
Search warrants have now been executed on her Poplar Street residence, the Challenger, the white Dodge minivan/SUV style vehicle, and evidence has been recovered.”
“We have now met with Investigators from Clayton County P.D. due to similarities between both of our shooting incidents and an unsolved shooting in their jurisdiction, where their victim suffered a gunshot wound to the head and is currently on life support. We believe there is strong evidence that Harden also committed that shooting, and we thoroughly expect that she will eventually be charged in that incident as the Clayton County investigation continues. We are in the process of contacting other agencies along 19/41 to see if they have had any similar unsolved cases that may match Harden’s pattern.”
Darlene Harden has been charged with 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, 2 Counts of Criminal Trespass, and 2 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, with other charges possibly pending. She is currently being held in the Spalding County Jail without bond.
“When word hit Social media the morning of the shooting, rumors instantly circulated that it was gang related and was part of a gang initiation. That rumor is absolutely false. There is nothing at all to support that allegation in any way, shape, form, or fashion. We have also been able to verify that neither of our victims knew Harden and have no connection to her. All evidence indicates that Harden is a violent person, and her crimes were exhibitions of that violence.”
“The Deputies and Investigators that responded to these incidents did an outstanding job of tracking it down. In the end, what started out with little, or no evidence turned into the arrest of a violent offender because of their hard work combined with their use of the technology they have available to them.”
If you were in the area and witnessed either of these incidents, or if you have any information regarding the Clayton County shooting incident, we are asking you to contact Sgt. Ciarra Belcher at the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, 770-467-4282.
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