Stray Bullet Pierces Roof, Kills Mother of 3

A stray bullet, fired by men target-practicing on a tree, pierced the roof of a house about 150 yards away and killed a woman in Newton County on Friday evening, authorities said.

Tanya Rosemary McCracken, 31, was in an upstairs bedroom of the house in the 800 block of Hightower Trail in Covington when she was hit, sheriff's officials said.

Two men have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony, in the shooting. Officials said both were using a rifle to shoot bullets into a tree.

"This is extremely unusual," said Newton County Sheriff's Capt. Mark Thomas. "They [the men] didn't have a clue what happened."

Authorities said McCracken's three children -- ages 11, 6, and 1 1/2 -- were at home when the bullet fell through the roof and struck her on the chest, Thomas said.

The oldest child ran to the room when he heard a thud and found his mother unconscious. His father was at work at the time; his grandfather rushed home.

The children were not hurt. McCracken was declared dead at the scene.

Thomas said deputies then began canvassing the area and were told that neighbors had heard gunshots in a nearby subdivision.

Deputies soon learned that two men were using a rifle to fire into a tree.

They were later found in Loganville, unaware of what had happened.

Late Friday night, Brendan Hernandez and Tony Tumbling were charged with involuntary manslaughter and were being booked into the Newton County Jail. Authorities did not have any other information on them until the booking process had been completed.

Both men have a court appearance Monday morning.

McCracken's children are with their father at a home in Oxford, officials said.

(CNN, AP, AJC)