Kirkwood shooting sparks neighborhood rally

By MEGAN MATTEUCCI

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kirkwood residents will hold an anti-crime march Friday to protest the shooting of a man shot while mowing his lawn.

Kenneth Hagen, 55, remained in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital on Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The “safety” rally, which is intended to bring light to Hagen’s shooting and other recent crimes, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bessie Branham Park on Delano Drive. All Atlanta residents are invited, said Anna Knipfer, one of the organizers.

“The rally is intended to positively promote ideas on how we can get city officials more involved and to shed light on how the rezoning of Zone 6 police station has threatened the safety of all our neighborhoods,” Knipfer said. “It is also is intended to show the criminals that we are standing together and not backing down.”

Atlantans Together Against Crime is also holding a rally Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Vinocity wine bar on Hosea L. Williams Drive.

Atlanta Police spokesman Officer James Polite said Monday that detectives have no leads in the Kirkwood shooting, besides the search for a red Kia with a partial tag of 4227.

Hagen has been in critical condition since Friday when he was shot while mowing his yard at his home in the 2000 block of Ridgedale Road.

A man demanded cash from Hagen and then opened fire, Polite said. Paramedics rushed Hagen to Grady Memorial Hospital with three gunshots wounds to his torso, police said.

Police initially said the robbers were trying to steal the victim’s weed wacker, but later learned they were seeking money, Polite said.

Neighbors said they are concerned about the robbers becoming more violent.

“We talked to the police and they say in general crime is down in Atlanta and it’s supposed to be just criminals who know each other shooting at one another. But lately there are all these stranger-on-stranger crimes,” said Sandra Mersinger, president of the Kirkwood Neighbors’ Organization.