Police: John Wes Townley Attacked Ex-Wife, Man with Hatchet Before Being Killed

Former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley died Saturday after he was shot while allegedly attacking his ex-wife and another man with a hatchet.

According to Fletcher Page of the Athens Banner-Herald, police said that Townley showed up at a Georgia residence and attacked his ex-wife, Laura Townley, and Zachary Anderson with the hatchet before Anderson shot him.

"A preliminary investigation revealed that Mr. Townley had arrived at this location and attacked Mr. Anderson and Ms. Townley with a hatchet," the Athens-Clarke County Police Department incident report said, per Tim Fitzsimons of NBC News. "Mr. Anderson fired several shots from his gun which struck Mr. Townley and accidentally struck Ms. Townley."

John Wes Townley was pronounced dead at the hospital, while Laura is expected to survive despite "serious" injuries.

Page noted John Wes Townley was charged with three misdemeanor counts in 2019, one of which was family violence battery, after throwing his wife to the floor and placing her in fear of her life. He was sentenced to 12 months probation after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct.

The police also said the Townleys had finalized a divorce after John Wes filed a petition in February.

John Wes Townley raced eight seasons in NASCAR's Xfinity and Truck Series and drove a car that his father owned. His father, Tony Townley, was the co-founder of Zaxby's restaurant chain.