Two people are in custody for the fatal shooting of a man during what Sandy Springs police said was the attempted theft of a video gaming system the victim was trying to sell on Craigslist.
The alleged shooter in the Friday night incident is a 16-year-old girl whose 16-month-old baby was only feet away at the time of the robbery and shooting, according to Sandy Springs police Sgt. Ron Momon.
Daniel John Zeitz, 28, of Roswell, had listed a PS4 gaming system for sale on Craigslist, and about 9:30 p.m., went to the parking lot of an apartment on Treelodge Parkway to meet a potential buyer, Momon said.
There, he met 20-year-old Nathaniel Vivian and a 16-year-old girl, whose name has not been released.
Momon said the pair tried to rob Zeitz of the PS4, and Vivian, who was in the driver’s seat of a car, struggled with Zeitz, who was standing outside the car, for the gaming system.
During the struggle, the girl fired a shot from a .25 caliber handgun, and the bullet passed through Vivian’s hand and struck Zeitz in the side of his chest, killing him.
Vivian and the girl were later arrested when they went to Northside Hospital for treatment of Vivian’s gunshot wound to the hand, Momon said.
“Brookhaven police were at the hospital interviewing the injured man, who told them he was a victim of a crime in Brookhaven, but later told them he was shot while he and his girlfriend were at the Legends of Dunwoody Apartments to rob a man of his PS4 video gaming system that was advertised on Craigslist,” Momon said.
“Detectives also learned that the juvenile’s infant child, approximately 16 months, was in the back seat of the car during the robbery and shooting,” he said.
Vivian is being held without bond in the Fulton County Jail. The girl also remains in custody, and the child was later turned over to her relatives.
The gun was recovered from the suspects’ car.
Zeitz was known by the name "Phobos" in online gaming circles, and one of his online gaming teammates set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Zeitz's funeral expenses. By Monday afternoon, the page had raised more than $10,000.
A video about Zeitz's killing posted by a friend Saturday on YouTube has been viewed nearly 20,000 times.
