NASCAR driver shot and killed after attacking two with a hatchet days after divorce was finalized, cops say

Oct. 4 2021, Published 11:22 a.m. ET
A NASCAR driver was shot and killed after attacking two people with a hatchet just days after his divorce is being finalized, police said.
John Townley — who drove in more than 70 races — was shot and killed in Athens, Georgia, on Oct. 2, according to a police report.
Around 9:50 p.m., officers from the Athens-Clarke County police department responded to a home for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they found Laura Townley and John Townley with gunshot wounds.
They were both taken to the hospital, where John Townley was later pronounced dead, according to a police report.
A third person, Zachary Anderson, was also in the home, according to the report.
A preliminary investigation found that John Townley went to the home and attacked Laura Townley and Anderson with a hatchet. The Townleys’ divorce had been finalized earlier in the week.
The report doesn't detail the relationship between Anderson and Laura Townley.
Anderson then fired several shots that hit John Townley and accidentally hit Laura Townley, according to the report.
There have been no charges filed against Anderson, but police say the investigation is ongoing.