The three people shot an killed at an Athens community theater event Saturday afternoon had ties to the University.

According to Town and Gown Players members, Tom Tanner, Marie Bruce and Ben Teague were the victims of the shooting.

Tanner, 40, was a research analyst with the University’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, earning a PhD in economics from UGA in 2005. Teague’s wife Frances is a professor of English at UGA.

Tanner and Teague were set designers, and Tanner was going to be in the “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” play. Bruce was president of the Town and Gown Board of Directors and an Athens attorney who was married to Zinkhan.

“We were inside finishing up eating,” said Annsley Haynes, a University student and a member of Kappa Delta. “There were six gunshots and we saw people screaming. We locked all of the doors and heard sirens within three minutes. We saw three bodies down right in front of the Town & Gown. People were in shock. We didn’t really know what happened.”

“The University community is shocked and saddened at this tragic event” University President Michael Adams wrote in a statement. “Our first thoughts are for safety of the university community and for prompt apprehension of the person responsible. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who have been affected.”