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Flowery Branch could extend local state
of emergency over COVID-19 risk, inside, 3 a
Murder suspect arrested after standoff
Roswell man accused of fatally shooting girlfriend, hiding with gun outside NGMC
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A Roswell man accused of
fatally shooting his girlfriend was
captured after a standoff with
police outside Gainesville’s North
east Georgia Medical Center early
Saturday, according to authorities.
The woman was found dead at a
Roswell apartment complex a few
hours previously.
Roswell Police officers were
called out around 12:48 a.m. Satur
day, Jan. 16, to the Crest of River
side apartments in the 800 block of
Chattahoochee Circle in Roswell to
check on Kelly Vucelich, 36.
Roswell Police Lt. Zachary From-
mer said one of Vucelich’s family
members called 911 after learning
from her boyfriend, Jason Hall, 36,
of Roswell, that Vucelich may have
been shot in her apartment.
Officers found Vucelich dead
from an apparent gunshot wound,
and the investigation led to Hall as
the primary suspect, Frommer said.
While law enforcement searched
for Hall, a family member took the
Roswell man to Northeast Geor
gia Medical Center where they
encountered officers from Gaines
ville Police and the Hall County
Sheriff’s Office, authorities said.
Gainesville Police Lt. Kevin Hol
brook said they were dispatched
around 3 a.m. Saturday for a report
of a person with a gun at the hospital.
“It was reported the individual
had been taken to the hospital
for a mental evaluation, at which
point he fled with a gun,” Holbrook
wrote in an email.
Holbrook said they found the
man hiding outside of an unoccu
pied building. Officers attempted to
peacefully resolve the situation while
also “providing safety and security to
all parties on campus of the hospital.”
After a short standoff, Hall was
arrested after 4 a.m. Saturday,
authorities said. He was turned over
to Roswell Police before being trans
ported to the Fulton County Jail.
“This situation shows that uti
lizing safety concepts to properly
apply de-escalation methods and
techniques in critical incidents is
paramount,” Gainesville Police
Chief Jay Parrish said in a state
ment. “Although not always the
case, when safe to do so and time
allows, the use of properly applied
de-escalation and crisis interven
tion training will and can save
lives. This was a very tense and
dangerous situation, to which we
are very fortunate ended with a
peaceful resolution.”
Hall was charged with murder.
“Regarding motive, we can
broadly say it appears to be a
domestic situation,” Frommer
wrote in an email.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office Lt.
Greg Cochran said the department’s
involvement was “minimal” until
Gainesville Police arrived on the
scene, as it was their jurisdiction.
‘Keep going no matter what’
Advocates find other ways to help after homeless count canceled
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
Knowing the biannual homeless
count “was in jeopardy for a couple
weeks,” Ninth District Opportunity
housing/program planner Mike
Fisher said he started working on
Plan B: How to keep the issue of home
lessness “and the plight of our needy
here in the forefront of everything
that we do.”
“The street outreach team for
Ninth District and all of our partners,
we’re going to keep going no matter
what,” Fisher said.
Officials with the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs
announced last week that the 2021
point-in-time homeless count, which
tries to identify what resources are
needed for the sheltered and unshel
tered populations around the state,
was off due to COVID-19 concerns.
It was set to begin Monday, Jan. 25,
and run through Feb. 7.
Fisher said the numbers have
grown every time the count has been
performed, with 149 homeless tallied
in the 2019 count. Having the event
in the winter, however, can lead to
an undercount that Fisher estimated
to be roughly half what the numbers
should be.
Fisher said he had a mixed reaction
to the cancelation, particularly after
the lead-up work finding out where
people are congregating to use their
time effectively.
“We had already laid a lot of ground
work,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of
preparation. We got a lot of volunteers
in order. We felt like we really were
in a position to get a very good and
accurate count... but I understood the
rationale.”
Fisher worked with the Georgia
Mountain Food Bank and other groups
Monday, Jan. 18, feeding the homeless
as part of a service project to honor
Martin Luther King Jr.
The effort Monday led to some 50
homeless people receiving food and
supplies, and Fisher’s team also dis
covered three new encampments in
the process.
Though they hope they will still get
the resources they need, Fisher said
they are pushing on with events focus
ing on the homeless community.
One such event will be held Tues
day, Jan. 26, at The Way on Bradford
Street with food, medical provid
ers and advocates for Medicare and
disability.
Jonathan Riggs and Robin Lamb
are partnering for a project aimed
at helping the homeless stay clean
and hygienic known as Clean
Start.
The project is a 26-foot box truck
equipped with a water tank, a shower,
a barber chair and a mirror.
“The idea is to be able to bring the
vehicle not just to events but maybe
reach out to some of the camps them
selves,” Riggs said.
Riggs said they are currently work
ing through mechanical problems
with the truck and going through tag /
licensure procedures.
In the past two to three months,
Fisher said a barter program was
established with the camps in the
area: The volunteers would bring
industrial-sized trash bags and food
with a handshake agreement for those
living there to clean up the camp.
“We bring them food anyway... and
they almost always honor (the agree
ment),” Fisher said.
Photo courtesy Mike Fisher
Mike Fisher, Ninth District Opportunity housing/program manager, speaks with people at
a homeless encampment Monday, Jan. 18. With the biannual homeless count canceled
due to COVID-19 concerns, Fisher and others are pushing forward with certain plans to
help the homeless population of Gainesville.
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
The Way ministries on Bradford Street in Gainesville serves breakfast and lunch to the
area homeless. The ministry also helps with online job applications, birth certificates and
personal state ID.
Virus relief
funds to help
some finish
college work
Associated Press
Some juniors and seniors at Georgia’s public
universities and colleges are in line for a little
financial boost to help them reach their degree.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Thursday in
his State of the State speech that he would use
$5 million in federal coronavirus relief that he
controls to provide small grants to help students
with unmet financial need pay their college
bills.
“These hardworking Georgians have nearly
crossed the finish line of their higher educa
tion journey, and I believe the least we can do
is ensure financial hardship at the hands of
COVID-19 does not stand in the way of achiev
ing their dreams,” Kemp said in the speech,
saying the money would provide a boost for up
to 10,000 students.
■ Please see COLLEGE, 4A
Community
stands up for
nonviolent
social change
BY KELSEY P0D0
kpodo@gainesvilletimes.com
The sound of hundreds of people marching
could not be heard in Gainesville this Martin
Luther King Jr. Day, but the voices of those
standing up for nonviolent social change still
reached the community on Monday, Jan. 18.
During Newtown Florist Club’s 35th annual
observance program, government officials,
local youth, ministers and other leaders in
the community honored the legacy of Martin
Luther King Jr. in an over 3-hour-long video
streamed on social media.
The morning opened with prayer and
encouragement from members of the Interde
nominational Black Ministers Association and
transitioned into several teachable moments
about the role of music in the civil rights move
ment, as well as arts and culture.
Stacey Abrams, Georgia-based voting rights
activist and politician, made an appearance in
the virtual celebration, shining light on the posi
tive work the Newtown Florist Club has done in
Hall County.
■ Please see MLK, 3A
A m
Screenshot by KELSEY PODO I The Times
Stacey Abrams, Georgia-based voting rights
activist and politician, speaks during Newtown
Florist Club’s virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Day
celebration Jan. 18.
