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SEC Dome crowd abuzz over shootings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The excitement level inside the Georgia Dome for the first game of the SEC Tournament was well below that of the rest of the downtown area, but that was due to subdued reaction to the Alabama-Mississippi game, not the courthouse shooting nearby.
Perry Perkins of New Orleans and his friend Lisa Perkins of Canyon Lake, Texas, took MARTA from Vinings at about 10:30 a.m. They saw police cars racing down a street at about 90 mph, Perry Perkins estimated, with no sirens or lights. “We just thought it was the Atlanta cops,” said Perry Perkins, who was wearing Mississippi State clothing.
They found out about the shooting from a friend as they approached the Dome, but didn’t turn back even with three helicopters hovering.
“You know it’s close, but it’s not in your parking lot,’ said Lisa Perkins. Added Perry Perkins, “You have to live your life.”
However, Lisa Perkins did think the Dome would be a perfect place “to come incognito. You’re at a sporting event and can come in and hide.”
But she added, “You’ve gotta have a ticket.”
Tickets were sold out.
Atlanta police at the Dome said fans were approaching them to ask if the man had been caught or what was happening.
Before the games began, some of the televisions in the bathrooms were tuned to CNN so fans could follow developments.
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