DOUGLAS, Ga. (WALB) — Douglas Police Department records and Coffee County Superior Court filings obtained through an open records request show a pattern of conflict at the Robin Lane home in the weeks before an Oct. 9 shooting that left five family members dead, including a Sept. 4 domestic call in which a son said he feared his father and a divorce petition filed by the mother days later.

September domestic call

According to a Douglas police report, officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the Robin Lane home at about 9:40 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2026.

James Fabrizio told officers that he and his father, John Fabrizio, were in a verbal altercation. James said he had unplugged security cameras under the carport that belonged to his mother, stating he did not want his father to have control over the whole family, according to the report.

James told officers that once his father realized the camera was unplugged, John became irate, saying “he would f*** him up and break his arm,” according to the report. James said his father had been in the military and kept guns inside the house, and that he and others had feared the guns “since he was a kid,” the report states. James said he felt unsafe and called 911, according to the report.

John told officers that he and his wife were not getting along and showed text messages to support that, according to the report. He said he paid all the bills and wanted the children, including James, to help pay the light bill. He also showed officers video footage of James unplugging the camera, the report states. When asked if he had made any threats toward James, John said, “No, I just told him to quit unplugging the camera,” according to the report.

A witness, Rosaida Figueroa, told officers she witnessed what James described, according to the report. When asked if there had been a verbal altercation involving John, she said no, the report states.

A supervising officer also responded and asked both parties what would need to happen to keep the peace, according to the report. John said everything would be fine as long as they stayed out of his way and stopped unplugging the cameras, the report states. James said he had to go to work soon and would stay out of his father’s way when he returned home, according to the report.

The report lists charge statute numbers for criminal trespass (family violence) and simple assault (family violence), though the narrative does not describe an arrest.

Divorce petition filed days later

Rachel Fabrizio filed a petition for divorce against John Fabrizio in Coffee County Superior Court on Sept. 9, 2026, five days after the domestic call, according to court records.

In the petition, Rachel said the couple married on June 12, 1993, and had been separated since prior to July 23, 2020, under a marital separation agreement, though they continued living at the Robin Lane address. She sought a total divorce on the grounds the marriage was irretrievably broken and citing cruel treatment, according to the filing. She also asked the court to incorporate the 2020 separation agreement into a final divorce order and to require John to pay her legal costs, according to the petition.

John was served with the divorce petition on Sept. 12, 2026, according to a sheriff’s entry of service filed in the case.

John, through an attorney who entered an appearance Oct. 7, 2026, filed an answer and counterclaim for divorce on Oct. 9, 2026 — the same day as the shooting, according to court records. In the filing, John denied Rachel’s allegation of cruel treatment and denied that the 2020 separation agreement should be entered as a final order, stating the agreement was “the result of fraud, duress, mistake, misrepresentation, and nondisclosure of material facts” and was unconscionable, according to the counterclaim. John also sought a total divorce on the grounds the marriage was irretrievably broken, an equitable division of marital debt, his separate property and attorney’s fees, the filing states.

A case disposition form filed Oct. 14, 2026, lists the manner of disposition, stating, “Defendant murdered Plaintiff and then committed suicide.”

Domestic call hours before the shooting

Douglas police responded to the Robin Lane home again at about 7:41 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2026, hours before the shooting, according to a separate report.

Officers made contact with John Fabrizio at the front door, where he was smoking a cigar and drinking a beer, according to the report. John told officers he was smoking his cigar and enjoying his residence, the report states.

Officers went to a back bedroom and spoke with Rachel Fabrizio, John’s wife, who was upset and taking a breathing treatment, according to the report. Officers learned Rachel has asthma and that John would not stop smoking inside the house, including blowing smoke toward her, according to the report. EMS was called to check on Rachel, and officers walked her to the back porch and turned her over to EMS, the report states.

Officers spoke with John again at the front door and advised him to smoke outside to keep the peace, according to the report.

The night of the shooting

At about 11:07 p.m. that same night, Douglas police and Coffee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Robin Lane home for a report of an active shooter, according to a police report.

Dispatch advised responding officers while they were en route that someone had called from the residence saying his father was shooting, and that shots could be heard in the background of the call, according to the report.

When officers arrived, lights were on inside the home and the scene initially appeared normal from the front, where officers parked, the report states. Active gunshots could not be heard at that time, according to the report. Officers and deputies then moved to the rear of the residence near the carport.

After entering through the carport, officers discovered four people dead and one person still breathing inside the home, according to the report. EMS, which was on standby, transported a female victim to Coffee Regional Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, the report states. The residence was then secured for further investigation, according to the report.

The report lists a felony murder charge against John Anthony Fabrizio and names James Fabrizio, Rosaida Figueroa Berrios, Rachel Fabrizio and William Fabrizio as victims.

Investigation

Based on evidence reviewed to date, investigators believe John Anthony Fabrizio, 64, fatally shot four victims before dying by suicide, police have said. Preliminary findings indicate an apparent murder-suicide, and autopsy results are pending.

Investigators are not seeking any additional suspects, and there is no known ongoing threat to the public associated with the incident, according to police.

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