Northwest Atlanta man dies in hail of bullets

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Homicide detectives Friday were investigating a predawn shooting in northwest Atlanta that left a man dead.

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John Spink jspink@ajc.com Atlanta Homicide Commander, Paul Guerrucci (left) and Sgt. Bob Creasy discuss the crime scene Friday. Homicide detectives investigated a predawn shooting in northwest Atlanta that left a man dead Friday, Oct. 8, 2010.

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Officers responding to a 3:30 a.m. report of shots fired at the Rolling Bends Apartments off Hightower Road found the victim lying dead in the parking lot, Atlanta police homicide Lt. Paul Guerrucci told the AJC.

Guerrucci said investigators also found more than 20 shell casings that were possibly fired from an AK-47. He could not say how many of the rounds struck the victim, only that he was shot "multiple" times.

The name of the victim, who Guerrucci said appeared to be in his early 20s, has not been released.

Police have not determined a motive for the shooting.

The type weapon believed to have been used is similar to a rifle allegedly stolen from an Army soldier who said he was attacked and beaten in the same apartment complex in late May.

The soldier, whose name was not released, told Channel 2 Action News in a May interview that he was on leave and was sitting in a car in the parking lot of the Rolling Bends complex with a cousin when he was attacked by seven men. The men stole the soldier's M-4 assault rifle, he said.

"A weapon like that in a neighborhood like that is not a good combination," the soldier told Channel 2.

Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.