Douglas Harper, a 41-year-old White man, was killed on the evening of October 9, 2025, in Epworth, Georgia, in Fannin County. Deputies and McCaysville officers responded to reports of shots fired on Old Epworth Road at about 7:15 p.m. and found Harper lying in the front yard of a residence with what authorities described as an apparent gunshot wound. His body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy; officials did not release how many times he’d been shot or the type of firearm involved.

William Joseph Woods, 58, of Epworth, was at the scene and was identified by investigators as the person who had shot Harper. Woods was taken into custody and booked into the Fannin County Jail. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation assisted and announced charges the next day: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Officials did not disclose what led to the shooting, whether Harper and Woods knew each other, or other details of the events immediately before the incident.

Anyone who knew Douglas Harper, William Joseph Woods, or who has information about what happened that night is asked to come forward to investigators.