Athens Faces Tragedy

Well, a weekend that was supposed to be quiet and calm turned out to be anything but. Good ol' Athens, GA made national news Saturday; not for our outstanding academic achievements, not for our efforts to improve the environment by 'going green', not for our historical landmarks. Instead, both our town and our college, UGA, has been the topic of conversation on CNN, Fox, USA Today, and all local news stations thanks to a professor that can only be described as 'crazy'. George Zinkhan is a 57-year-old professor, employed at UGA, who shot and killed his wife and two others Saturday at a local community theater. After shooting each multiple times, he fled with his two children in the car. Zinkhan dropped his 8 and 10 year old off at a neighbor's house, explaining he would return in about an hour. He has yet to return.


Click here to watch a short video created by a local student newspaper.


Police surrounded his home, his office, and his wife's office; in the event that he returned, they were prepared. It has now been over 48 hours and there has been no sign of him. Reports are surfacing about a possible love affair, international cell phone purchases, missing passports, etc. Zinkhan has the financial means to run as long as he wishes. He has a second home in Amsterdam and family in Texas. It is believed that he may have a 'secret identity' with credit cards issued in other names, which would have allowed him to escape the country unnoticed. As of now, his vehicle has not been located and he has not used any cellphones or credit cards that are reported in his name.

The Athens community is devastated by the occurrences and even more devastated by the idea that one of our own is capable of such horrific behavior. This is a man that was responsible for the education of students. He is a well respected researcher and has published several books based on his knowledge. He walked on the same campus as us, parked in our parking lots, sat behind a desk in our offices. This was not just some madman off the streets. George Zinkhan made over 212k a year in addition to the income from his wife, a prominent attorney in Athens.

Our only hope is that justice is served. The children will never be hugged by their mother again; will never experience all of the joys a child is supposed to feel as they grow. Despite the affection they seem to show in the picture, this is obviously a troubled man who has serious problems. The families of the others that were killed will always have questions, fears, and uncertainties. This man does not deserve to spend life as a free man.