BUCKHEAD, Ga. — A man accused of going on a shooting spree in Buckhead was granted bond Thursday.
Back in June, police arrested Gaelen Newsom, who’s accused of firing shots at three joggers on the morning of June 6th and crashing his car into another man, seriously injuring him. He was also tied to another shooting that took place a few days earlier, in Roswell.
Now, Newsom has a bond set at more than $5 million, but the fact he’s been given one at all is taking one of his victims by surprise.
That victim is Andrew Worrell, whose wife Anne spoke with 11Alive. She explained that over the last seven months, her husband has made it through physical therapy, while their whole family has attempted to heal.
“It has felt like a really long time but then it felt like it was just yesterday,” she told 11Alive.
Anne explained there are reminders of the attack every day, since their house is in the same neighborhood where Andrew was shot in June, while running along West Wesley Road in Buckhead.
“I think it has been shown that he is a huge liability because it wasn’t just June 6, but there were several other things linked to him,” she explained.
Since Newsom’s arrest, the Worrells have been keeping track of the case and staying informed through a victim’s advocate.
”Several months ago they reached out and said they were working on the indictment and would be asking for potentially 50 years,” Worrell said.
But, the couple stated that no one told them in advance about Thursday’s hearing and they had no idea bond was a possibility for Newsom.
“It’s very frustrating. We were told we would be informed along the way by the DA’s office,” Anne exclaimed.
The District Attorney’s Office also said it was surprised by the bond hearing, adding it expected a continuance at which point it could inform the victims and get witnesses to testify. However, that request was denied and the bond was granted.
Anne said as upsetting as the whole experience has been, she and her husband are glad to see the process moving forward.
“My goal is for him (Newsom) to stay in prison or a mental institution for prisoners and get some help,” she concluded.