Neighbors react to slayings of two Cobb sheriff's deputies in west Cobb
Sep. 10—WEST COBB — Kelly Zito was sitting on her back patio around 7:45 p.m., enjoying a mild Thursday evening at her home in west Cobb's Hampton Glen subdivision, when a loud noise caught her attention.
"I heard 'pop, pop, pop,' and then it stopped for a second, and then, 'pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,'" Zito said. "I came inside and I was like, 'I think I just heard gunshots.'"
Zito lives in a home on Fenwick Drive behind 2474 Hampton Glen Court, the address where two Cobb sheriff's deputies were shot and killed Thursday evening while attempting to serve a warrant for a suspect accused of theft.
Zito lives with her parents and 14-year-old son Carson, a student at Lovinggood Middle School. She did not expect something like this to happen in a neighborhood she called "family-oriented," full of picturesque suburban homes with basketball hoops and well-manicured lawns.
Zito previously lived in a condo in Vinings, and said she moved with her son and parents to the neighborhood because of its family-friendly atmosphere. She said most neighbors know each other on a street where many families with young children reside, adding there are often neighborhood gatherings in a subdivision known to be quiet and peaceful.
A group of eight SWAT team members occupied her backyard, Zito said, while two suspects in the shooting of the sheriff's deputies barricaded themselves in the house on Hampton Glen Court.
"They wanted us to turn off all the lights, they had night vision, that whole deal, and they said they don't want to be seen," Zito said. "They were asking if we saw a white male in jeans and a white T-shirt, which we didn't."
Police told her one suspect in a car and another in the house had fired on the deputies. Her mother texted her later in the night that one of the suspects was said to have mental health and anger issues. Zito said the house was occupied by a mother, her middle-aged son and his friend, though she rarely saw them.
Doug Cunningham owns Marietta-based Georgia Clean, a crime scene cleanup business. He was at the scene of the incident on Friday morning, servicing the home where the sheriff's deputies attempted to serve the warrant.
Cunningham said his company gets involved in cleaning up sites where hostage situations occurred about three to four times a year. Formerly an FBI special agent in Los Angeles and Atlanta, Cunningham said he lived in the cul-de-sac behind Hampton Glen Court for seven years, moving out in 1996.
"The family that lives here and my son and a couple other kids used to play together back when they were in elementary school," Cunningham said of the home where the incident occurred.
During mid-morning Friday, a group of women who live in the neighborhood were gathered on Fenwick Drive, just across from the corner of Hampton Glen Court, discussing the events of the previous night.
Tiffany, who lives in the house on Fenwick Drive directly across from where the shooting occurred, declined to provide her last name or discuss any details about the case.
"We are somber for the family of the cops," Tiffany said. "The 'hood is being protective of everything."
Zito, meanwhile, said she does not plan on changing anything about her lifestyle following the shooting, calling the incident "a fluke" for an otherwise tranquil neighborhood. She added, however, she would not be surprised if some neighbors are less inclined to spend time outside following Thursday's events.
Regarding the suspects who she believes are responsible for the killings of deputies, Zito said she hopes justice is served.
"I'm actually glad they didn't kill him because I hope he rots in prison, both of them."
