Cobb Man Arrested In Bartow Rodeo Shooting

By Kristal Dixon

An Austell man has been arrested and charged in connection of a shooting that sent three people to the hospital Sunday evening. 

Bartow sheriff's deputies have arrested 25-year-old Celestino Moras of Austell and charged him with aggravated assault for the shooting, which occurred at a Memorial Day rodeo event on Fossetts Cove near Cassville.

According to a press release from the Bartow County Sheriff's Office, Bartow County 911 started receiving calls just after 7 p.m. May 25 from witnesses who reported hearing shots at the event, which drew over 300 people. 

Once deputies arrived onto the scene, they discovered a group of people "captured" one shooter who they eventually took into custody, Sheriff Clark Millsap said. A second shooter, however, escaped before deputies responded to the scene.  

Three people were shot at the event: two in the lower body and one in the neck. All three victims were treated at area hospitals and released. Another female victim was treated for a cut on her hand with knife.

Moras was arrested and charged after he was treated for facial injuries at an area hospital. He reportedly received those injuries when the crowd "was taking him under control," Millsap said in the news release.

The sheriff said the shooting happened when those attending the event asked an "intoxicated" man to leave. That man, Millsap said, pulled out a gun and started shooting.