Family: Lawrenceville Man Shot Mother, Killed Self

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Family members say a Lawrenceville man with a history of violence and addiction shot and killed his mother, then himself, over the weekend.

Gwinnett County Police say they had been called to the family's address, on Bishops Lane, in the past due to domestic disputes. On Saturday, Mark Knox, 56, and his mother, Donna Dennis, 82, were found there, both dead from gunshot wounds.

Susan Gonzalez told WSB-TV that Knox, her brother, moved in with their mother after attempting suicide 22 years ago. In the following years, she told the station, Knox struggled with addiction and frequently threatened members of his own family.

"I feared him because he threatened me more than anyone threatened me," Gonzalez told WSB.

Police say a family member had gone to the home on Saturday to check on Knox and Dennis. The family member was able to see through a back door that Knox had suffered a gunshot wound, police said.

The family member called 911. When officers arrived, they located both bodies.

Family members told WSB that the state Department of Human Services recently had become involved because of the number of domestic incidents at the home.

"Nobody deserved to be like that ...," Gonzalez said to WSB about her mother's death. "That’s not how she should have lived her life out."

Like the Lawrenceville Patch on Facebook to get more stories like this in your News Feed.

Photo via Pixabay