Police arrest man accused of shooting estranged wife in grocery store

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — Doctors are treating a woman after police say her husband shot her at the grocery store where she worked.

The shooting took place at an Ingles grocery store in Covington.

Police said Jimques Swiney, 33, calmly walked inside the store, pulled out a gun and shot his wife.

"There was a domestic dispute and he went to her job," the man’s aunt, Janice Swiney, told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington.

The aunt told Washington that her nephew has battled mental illness for years.

"I think he's just troubled right now," Janice Swiney said.

Washington obtained surveillance video that investigators said shows Jimques Swiney casually walk inside the Ingles, finding his wife, then opening fire.

The wife was shot once in the arm. Jimques Swiney then took off

"Everybody's been reaching out to him, to ask him to turn himself in," Janice Swiney told Washington.

Police combed a wooded area, near Turner Lake Road. They even used a drone in the search.

About two hours later, Channel 2’s cameras were rolling as police located and put Janice Swiney into handcuffs, just a few feet from the grocery store.

Police said they first spotted him ducking behind a tree.

"We ordered him away from the tree, get down on the ground and he complied," said Capt. Ken Malcom with the Covington Police Department. "He was really upset (and it's) obvious there was an issue between him and his wife."

As for Swiney's family, they hope he finally gets the help he needs.

He's "never really harmed anybody or even thought of harming anybody. I think it's really the mental issues going on that he's suffering with," Janice Swiney told Washington.

Jimques Swiney’s wife is expected to make a full recovery. He will face a number of serious charges.

Cox Media Group