Tough news coming out of Athens, Georgia.
According to the Athens Banner Herald, former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley (31) was shot and killed on Saturday in a double shooting.
Athens police initially believed the shooting was domestic violence related, as an anonymous 30-year-old woman was shot as well.
However now, the police report reveals that the woman shot was actually Townley’s estranged wife Laura. The two had filed for divorce in February and it was finalized this week.
According to the investigation, Townley arrived to Laura’s home with a hatchet and attacked another man, Zachary Anderson.
Anderson eventually fired his gun several times at Townley, killing him, and accidentally striking Laura. She was taken to the hospital to treat “serious” injuries, but is expected to survive.
The investigation is ongoing, however at the moment, no charges have been filed against Anderson.
Here’s a look at the initial police report:
Townley retired from racing back in 2017, with one win at the 2015 Rhino Linings 350, and racking up 24 top 10s in the NASCAR truck series.
His father, Tony Townley, is the co-founder of Zaxbys, and John Wes drove the Zaxbys car for most of his career.
Many people within the NASCAR world took to Twitter to share their condolences:
