Airport hotel clerk wounded, would-be robber dead

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By Larry Hartstein and Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An airport hotel clerk was wounded and another man was killed during a Sunday afternoon attempted robbery, Atlanta police said.

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Coroners carry the body out from the registration building at the Travelodge Atlanta Airport, where one man was killed and another man wounded in a shooting Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com Coroners carry the body out from the registration building at the Travelodge Atlanta Airport, where one man was killed and another man wounded in a shooting Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

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Police initially said the clerk pulled his own gun and shot and killed a would-be robber. But a review of surveillance video apparently changed investigators' conclusions.

The incident happened about 1 p.m. at the Travelodge Atlanta Airport.

Maj. Keith Meadows said Sunday afternoon that the clerk was shot in the abdomen and rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was in stable condition.

A gunman "attempted to rob the establishment and during the course of that robbery, we believe the clerk pulled his handgun and at that point they exchanged gunfire," Meadows said at the time. "It seems the would-be robber was struck once in the head and killed on scene."

But late Sunday night, wsbtv.com reported that the robber may have killed himself. Citing unnamed investigators, the news website reported that only one gun was found at the scene and that investigators said the hotel surveillance video of the incident shows that when the robber pulled his gun back, he actually shot and killed himself.

Police did not release the name of the clerk, and the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said late Sunday that the dead man was still unidentified.

Police continue to look for a man they believe was the gunman's accomplice. He was seen speeding away from the Travelodge at 2788 Forrest Hills Drive, Meadows said.

Meadows said police have several witnesses.

--Staff photographer Hyosub Shin contributed to this report.