Police Work Leads In Canton Double Homicide

CANTON, GA -- Investigators with the Canton Police Department continue to work every angle possible to crack the case of a double shooting that left two young men dead and another injured Sunday evening.

The shooting, which was reported around 11:20 p.m. June 25, resulted in the death of Canton resident William Kendrick Randall, 23, and Tony Adam Samples, 26, of Ball Ground.

Police Chief Mark Mitchell said the agency has received quality information from citizens who've reached out with tips and leads.

However, police are not ready to release additional details in the case, including how the victims knew each other, why they were at the location and if they have narrowed down the field of people they are reviewing as part of the case.

"As with any case, we have also received some hesitation, but we have a very good relationship with our community and that's the kind of partnership it takes to solve a crime such as this," the chief added.

Officers were dispatched to a shots fired call on Crisler Street and arrived to find multiple people afflicted with gunshot wounds.

One male was found dead in the grassy area adjacent to Crisler Street and another male wounded at a home off Jefferson Circle. The neighborhood sits off East Main Street near St. Paul AME Church Annex.

Around the same time, police also discovered a male inside a vehicle who had been shot. Emergency medical crews rushed the victim to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The wounded victim was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital where he has been treated for non-life threatening injuries, the agency added. Mitchell said Canton detectives will not release the third shooting victim's name at this time, as the investigation remains active.

Sunday's incident was the second high-profile profile shooting in as many months reported in the city of Canton. In May, a 16-year-old male was shot while lying on the living room sofa of a home on Alpine Street. That shooting, police previously told Patch, may have been over drugs. Unfortunately, police said residents at the home cooperated very little in an effort to solve that case.

To help prevent that from happening with Sunday's shooting, Mitchell notes it takes very good communication on behalf of the department and its officers. Canton police have worked to make good on that initiative by hosting numerous Coffee with a Cop events as well as meetings with various community leaders over the last few years to bolster the relationship they have with citizens and stakeholders.

The Canton Police Department's team, he added, "establishes a good rapport with those who call to give information about this case and other cases we work everyday."

Anyone who has information about the shooting is asked to call 911 or the police department at 770-720-4883.

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