Police probe double slaying

Jen Lawson

Monday, May 23, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

Metro Police were investigating a double homicide this morning after two men were found shot in a street lined with partially built homes near Southern Highlands, in the southwestern part of the valley, Metro Police said.

Southern Highlands security guards found the victims, who appeared to be in their 20s or 30s, about 4 a.m. on Ivy Creek Court, Metro Lt. Tom Monahan said.

"They saw a car with its headlights on parked in the development, and there shouldn't have been anybody up there," he said.

The guards found a blue Toyota Tercel bearing California plates with its back window shot out. One of the victims was inside the car and the other was on the ground on the passenger side, Monahan said.

The slayings might be drug-related, he said, but it was too soon to say for sure.

Detectives believe the shooting occurred about 1 a.m., when a Southern Highlands resident called 911 and reported hearing gunshots.

"Patrol went out there, but because it (the call) came from several streets away they never did find the bodies because they were in the wrong neighborhood," Monahan said.

No one reported seeing a car fleeing from the area or anything unusual, he said. Police have no suspects.

The property on which the shootings occurred isn't technically in Southern Highlands -- it's an island surrounded by Southern Highlands property, according to a representative of the developer, Avante Homes.

Josh Anderson, vice president of sales and marketing for Avante Homes, said he was "definitely surprised" to hear that two people had been killed in the quiet, upscale area.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims," he said.

Crimes at new home sites are typically limited to people stealing appliances or power tools, Monica Caruso, spokeswoman for the Southern Highlands Home Builders Association, said.

More violent crimes are rare, she said. The most serious incident she noted was an occasional arson.

"I can't recall the last time we had this type of death at a construction site," she said. "This is a very unusual situation. This isn't the norm and it isn't a trend."