2 held in Edgewood shopping center shooting

By Ty Tagami, Aaron Gould Sheinin and Elissa Eubanks

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta police say they're questioning two "persons of interest" in connection with the Sunday shooting of a bystander at a busy shopping center near Little Five Points.

Police also found what they believe are the two vehicles that were involved in the incident at the Edgewood Retail District -- a Penske truck and a silver Mercedes.

"Two persons of interest are being questioned at this time and the investigation is active," said Ofc. Eric Schwartz, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department.

The shooting left a 30-year-old man with a bullet wound in the back. The man, whom Schwartz did not identify, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition

He was idling at a red light on Moreland Avenue when the bullet struck him, Lt. Darin Schierbaum of the Atlanta police said. The man drove into the shopping center and stopped in the parking lot of the Kroger grocery store. A woman  in the passenger seat was uninjured, Schierbaum said.

The man was driving a four-door Toyota Matrix. A bullet hole was visible in the rear driver's-side door. Another hole could be seen in the lower back area of the driver's seat.

The man was able to talk with officers before he was taken to the hospital. Police said the shooter was riding in a Penske truck or a silver Mercedes. At least one person in a vehicle shot at the another, but it was unclear if there was a gun battle, Schierbaum said.

The vehicles traveled from Moreland Avenue into the shopping, Schierbaum said. At least 11 bullet shell casings were recovered on the street around the Wachovia bank on Caroline Street after 5 p.m. Police cordoned off the intersection.

A barber at a Great Clips nearby said a customer witnessed the shooting and saw the shooter run away. A Game Stop store employee across the street said a customer told him the same thing.

There were numerous witnesses and security cameras in the parking lot that could provide evidence, Schierbaum said. "We're fortunate no one else was hurt," he added.

A car crash near the Kroger store may have been connected with the incident. Sheila Miller, 49, of Atlanta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution her car was struck by a Penske truck that sped away.  Her car was stopped at the edge of the Kroger parking lot and suffered damage to its rear end. Miller was taken to a hospital.

An hour later, a Penske truck was found parked near a church on Ponce de Leon Avenue, but it was unclear if it was connected to the shooting.

-- Staffer Stell Simonton contributed to this article