AJC 2020 Photos of the year: John Spink

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AJC 2020 Photos of the year: John Spink

October 13, 2020 Gwinnett County: CSX railroad personnel were busy Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020 cleaning up a large train derailment that happened Sunday in Lilburn. Heavy rain caused a 170-car CSX train to derail near Main Street and Camp Creek Road in Lilburn early Sunday, October 11, 2020. When crews arrived, they determined 38 railcars had gone off the tracks. Two CSX employees were trying to get out of a locomotive that had turned onto its side, officials said. They were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Cruise ship passengers that have been stranded at sea were flown to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday, March 20, 2020. Of the 359 on the plane, three passengers tested positive for the coronavirus but have no symptoms, according to Gov. Brian Kemp’s office. Another 13 people are ill but have not yet been tested by U.S. Health and Human Services. Several aboard the Costa Luminosa cruise ship have coronavirus-related symptoms. But the ship has not been allowed to dock at ports due to the pandemic. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Here an Atlanta police SWAT officers carries a girl form the home where an hourslong SWAT standoff at a Vine City home began Monday morning, Jan. 6, 2020 with a child’s frantic 911 call. Three siblings said their father had beaten them with a baseball bat, according to Atlanta police. They escaped to a neighbor’s house, but a fourth child was still inside the Griffin Street home with the man, whose name has not been released. The child, a young girl, was not rescued until about five hours later. Shortly after a SWAT member carried her to safety, the girl’s father was taken from the home in handcuffs. When officers responded about 6:30 a.m., they found the three other children with minor injuries to their heads. It is not known what provoked the alleged attack, Atlanta police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Deacon Fred Johns presided over “Drive-In” Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Wednesday, March 25, 2020, where some 50-cars attended in the parking lot at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Conyers. Adoration is offered every day from 9 am to 10 am, A large consecrated host (bread wafer) from the Mass which Catholics believe is the Real presence of Jesus Christ, is reserved in a vessel called a “Monstrance” where the faithful pray before. Normally Adoration occurs in small chapels outside the main sanctuary when Mass is not being celebrated. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Catholics in the Atlanta Archdiocese and around the world have been implementing creative ways to serve the faithful. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

A lone bicycle rider pedals past Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, April 3, 2020, where The Final Four would've begun championship college basketball, but was canceled because of COVID-19. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

May 8, 2020 Atlanta: Grady medical workers along with Atlanta firefighters prepare to transport a patient on Friday, May 8, 2020 at the Nursecare of Buckhead located at 2920 Pharr Court South N.W. in Atlanta. Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford told the AJC that calls to nursing facilities involving high risk patients during the COVID pandemic require firefighters to follow protocols and wear a disposable Tyvek suit (white suit shown here). Stafford said the call involved a 72-year old patient in raspatory distress and was transported to Grady Hospital. the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates deaths from the COVID-19virus will reach 3,000 a day nationwide by June. That is significantly higher than the current daily average of about 1,750 and foretells an ultimate death toll far exceeding 100,000. Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp said that Georgia is “just so much better prepared now than we were a month or six weeks ago” “We’re buckling in for the long haul,” he said, contending that the economic harm caused by the lockdown could be as damaging as the virus itself. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

With a warm sunny day, Terrious Hutchinson got in some skate time Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 at the Brook Run Skate Park in Dunwoody. Hutchinson is glad the skate park reopened 2-months ago after being closed for COVID-19 because “The best bowls are here,” he said. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

March 17, 2020 Atlanta: Atlanta officers with long guns congregate at the shooting scene. Two Atlanta police officers were grazed by bullets in a deadly shootout with a gunman near Piedmont Park on Tuesday morning, March 17, 2020 authorities said. The gun battle stretched several blocks in front of the park, from the area of 10th Street to The Prado, according to Maj. Michael O'Connor. A total of six officers were involved before one fired the fatal round, he said. The gunman was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital. While he has not been identified, police believe he is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. The call came in about 8 a.m. as a report of a man firing rounds into the air near the park, according to OÕConnor. The first officer to arrive tried to speak with the man. ÒAt about the 15 feet-away mark, the suspect turns around and begins to indiscriminately shoot at the police officer,Ó OÕConnor said from the scene. ÒAt that point we were engaged in an active gun battle.Ó Two of the officers responding as backup brought long guns. It was a rifle round that eventually hit the man, ending the shootout somewhere north of The Prado, OÕConnor said. Dozens of rounds were fired, and two officers were struck. ÒOne was shot to the head,Ó OÕConnor said. ÒItÕs a graze wound to the head, so he's fine. And I had an officer who later realized, after the adrenaline wore off, that he had been shot in the foot.Ó Both officers were expected to be treated and released from Grady. All six of the officers involved work in the police departmentÕs Zone 5, which covers Piedmont Park and other parts of the city. They will be placed on administrative leave per department policy. OÕConnor praised the officers for their quick actions. Given the highly populated area and proximity to a busy park, he said the gunfight could have ended much worse. No bystanders were injured. ÒItÕs unfortunate that the suspect was killed, but he made that decision,Ó OÕConnor said. Ò We didnÕt make that decision. WeÕve got to respond to whatÕs in front of us.Ó JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

October 20, 2020 Atlanta: Atlanta police officers investigate the scene where a man was shot dead about 3:30 a.m. outside a Goodwill donation center on Collier Road on Tuesday morning, Oct. 20, 2020. Atlanta police officers searched the area of the Goodwill after a 911 caller reported gunfire. He was shot multiple times, according to police. “All we know at this point is that potentially two to three vehicles were seen leaving the parking lot of the Goodwill at the time of the gunfire,” homicide unit commander Lt. Pete Malecki said from the scene. The 911 caller, an employee at the Citgo across the street, did not provide any further description of the vehicles, he said. Investigators are hoping surveillance cameras at Goodwill and surrounding businesses will provide them with some answers. “That will be really paramount to getting us off to a really quick start in the initial investigation in this case,” Malecki said. The victim has not been identified. Based on his appearance, Malecki said he is likely in his 50s. “We are asking if there are any additional witnesses, if any citizens heard the gunfire or saw the cars leaving this parking lot, that they would call 911 or Atlanta Crime Stoppers to report that information to us,” he said. Atlanta police are investigating Atlanta police are investigating a second shooting that sent officers to the Pavilion Place Apartments in the 500 block of Cleveland Avenue about 5:45 a.m. A 59-year-old woman was shot multiple times inside an apartment. The two cases bring Atlanta’s homicide count to 116 this year, further cementing 2020 as the deadliest year in more than a decade. Tipsters with information on either shooting can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

May 22, 2020 Atlanta: Governor Brian Kemp (left) eating lunch with Vice President Pence (center) and first lady Marty Pence (right) at the Star Cafe located at 2053 Marietta Blvd NW in Atlanta on Friday, May 22, 2020. Vice President Mike Pence who visited Atlanta on Friday, May 22, 2020 praised Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia restaurant owners who have reopened their establishments in recent weeks, lending a high-level dose of support to state leaders who have been criticized for ending pandemic restrictions too soon. Gov. Brian Kemp and Vice President Mike Pence, along with Georgia first lady Marty Kemp, had lunch at the Star Cafe in Atlanta during Pence’s visit on Friday which also included a roundtable discussion with restaurant executives at the Waffle House Headquarters. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

July 23, 2020 Atlanta: 5th and 6th graders attending the High Museum’s Art Camp at the High, played statues in the garden outside the museum in midtown Atlanta near “The Shade” a sculpture by Auguste Rodin. The camp is themed weekly and began on June 8th and ends August 7th. People got in their runs at Bobby Jones Golf Course and kids played outdoors at The High Museum Art Camp in the lower 90’s on Thursday, July 23, 2020. If you’re looking for a break from the wet weather, we’ve got some bad news for you. Isolated storms and showers are back in the forecast Thursday, according to Channel 2 Action News. “Again today (Thursday). Again tomorrow. Again on Saturday, and Sunday, too,” Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said. “We are in that summer pattern.” However, we will continue to see pop-up storms for the remainder of the week. The chance of rain increases to 40% on Friday and 60% on Saturday. “Plan for the showers and storms for the next few days,” Monahan said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

July 20, 2020 Atlanta: Amanda Hiley from Birmingham, Alabama placed flowers and a candle at the John Lewis Mural at Jesse Hill Jr. Drive and Auburn Avenue on Monday, July 20, 2020. She met John Lewis at a Equal Justice Initiative gathering and felt compelled to come to Atlanta and leave flowers. The U.S. House of Representatives convened Monday morning for the first time in more than three decades without John Lewis serving as the conscience of Congress. Lewis, 80, died late Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, only hours after another civil rights legend, C.T. Vivian, died at age 95. House leaders held a moment of silence. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation ordering flags at half-staff at the White House and all federal properties, including military bases, for Saturday only. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi directed the same for the U.S. Capitol, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms made a similar declaration for Atlanta City Hall and all other city facilities. Both of those orders are in place indefinitely. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 26, 2020 Dunwoody: Left to right - Matt Blackburn, Shannon Blackburn, Jackson-4 (obscured) and Henley-7 walked past one of several "Everything will be OK" yard signs along Trailridge Lane in Dunwoody where a group called CREATE Dunwoody in partnership with the City of Dunwoody, and other public and private groups are raising money from the sales of the yard signs that will help establish public art in the city and to encourage the creative exploration of the arts. The impact of the coronavirus in Georgia was evident everywhere on Thursday, March 26, 2020 - from less traveled streets, public service billboards and people staying home. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the state public health commissioner, says the State of Georgia has several “hotspots” of outbreaks, including in Albany, Bartow County, Dublin and Rome. In “virtually all these cases,” at least some of the spread was linked to “large church services,” she said. In Dougherty County, for instance, the coronavirus outbreak has been traced to two funeral services in late February and early March. Toomey told clergy that churches, synagogues and mosques that have the technical capacity to offer online services should do so. “This is a short period of inconvenience and worry, but if we invest in this collectively as a community we can help stop this virus,” she said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 26, 2020 Atlanta: A nearly empty John Lewis Freedom Parkway on Thursday, March 26, 2020. The impact of the coronavirus in Georgia was evident everywhere on Thursday, March 26, 2020 - from less traveled streets, public service billboards and people staying home. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the state public health commissioner, says the State of Georgia has several “hotspots” of outbreaks, including in Albany, Bartow County, Dublin and Rome. In “virtually all these cases,” at least some of the spread was linked to “large church services,” she said. In Dougherty County, for instance, the coronavirus outbreak has been traced to two funeral services in late February and early March. Toomey told clergy that churches, synagogues and mosques that have the technical capacity to offer online services should do so. “This is a short period of inconvenience and worry, but if we invest in this collectively as a community we can help stop this virus,” she said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

April 16, 2020 Atlanta: A shout out to frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis was expressed by a banner hanging from the Jackson Street Bridge in Atlanta on Thursday, April, 16, 2020 visible to westbound motorists on the John Lewis Freedom Parkway. As of Wednesday evening, 15,260 Georgians had tested positive for COVID-19. That figure represented an increase of 682 cases in 24 hours. Georgia will dramatically expand testing for the novel coronavirus, following weeks of diagnostic rationing that obscured the pandemic’s full effects. For the first time in Georgia, tests will be offered to anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, state officials said Wednesday. Those symptoms include fever, fatigue and a dry cough. But the state’s public health department has only 5,000 test kits on hand, a tiny fraction of the number that experts say are needed to track and contain the virus. The state has signed a contract to buy additional kits from a Sandy Springs-based company, Ipsum Diagnostics, which recently received emergency federal approval to deploy its newly developed tests. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

October 29, 2020 Atlanta: Atlanta fire crews worked for about 40 minutes to free a man trapped in his third-floor bedroom after a tree came crashing down on a home on Brookdale Drive in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. Rain bands and damaging winds from Tropical Storm Zeta swept through North Georgia on Thursday morning, leaving at least one person dead and nearly 1 million in the dark. Zeta made U.S. landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Category 2 hurricane, lashing the Louisiana coast with 110 mph winds. It weakened to a tropical storm by the time it reached North Georgia, with winds gusting between 51 mph in Atlanta and 55 mph in Rome early Thursday. The worst of the storm tore through the region between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. Just before daybreak, Georgia Power was reporting outages for more than 613,000 customers statewide. Another 364,000 Georgia EMC customers were without power, the majority of those in metro Atlanta. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

March 5, 2020 Atlanta: March 5, 2020 Atlanta: Huyen Win (center) talks with the tow truck driver, Matt Bell (left) on behalf of her roommate, Briauna Rogers (not pictured) who ran into a flooded street at South Grand Ave and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway in Atlanta. Rogers drove alone in the pouring rain when she came up on the flooded road and it was too late. Downpour after downpour of rain on Thursday, March 5, 2020, Channel 2 meteorologist Brian Monahan said it will be a whole different story on Friday, which should get lots of sunshine and afternoon highs in the low 50s, according to Channel 2. Friday is the start of a much drier weather pattern that will see North Georgia into next week. “How about this? Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday should all be mainly dry days across North Georgia,” Monahan said. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

September 11, 2020 Stone Mountain: Henry County Fire Captain, Travis Miller with bagpipes (center) beholds the mountain top view of Atlanta with fellow firefighters. Over 100 firefighters from various metro Atlanta Fire departments including: Fayetteville Fire, Fayetteville Police, Fayette County Fire, Henry County Fire, Spalding County Fire, Union City Fire, Morrow Fire, Barrow County Fire, Johns Creek Fire, Gwinnett County Fire and DeKalb County Fire Rescue ascended Stone Mountain on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. The 6th annual climb was sponsored by the Fayetteville Fire Department who challenged themselves and fellow firefighters to the one-mile climb, equivalent to 160 flights of stairs. Wearing a full complement of firefighting gear, the group tested their endurance in honor of the sacrifices made by 343 firefighters and paramedics who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Henry County police joined the group. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

August 20, 2020 Atlanta: Atlanta firefighters overview the rubble of the upper floors looking for hot spots on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020 where the number of people displaced by WednesdayÕs massive apartment fire in Buckhead grew, the American Red Cross said Thursday. According to spokeswoman Sherry Nicholson, at least 182 people from 104 families were impacted by the blaze at the Avana on Main, up from WednesdayÕs count of 162 people from 101 families. Those numbers, she said, could continue to rise. ÒSome people donÕt want our help right away, or feel that they donÕt need it,Ó Nicholson told AJC.com Thursday morning. ÒAnd, obviously, they are not required to take it, but we try to assist as many families as we can.Ó Nearly 24 hours after flames tore through the four-story complex near the Lindbergh Center MARTA station, Atlanta firefighters remained on the scene to survey the damage and to determine what caused the blaze. The fire started about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and then quickly ripped through the complex in the 500 block of Main Street, AJC.com previously reported. The blaze sent towers of thick, gray smoke up toward the sky. No residents were injured in the incident, but one firefighter was taken to the hospital about 3:30 p.m. after a wall collapsed near the parking deck. The firefighter injured his knee but is expected to recover. The last hot spots were not put out until after 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Channel 2 Action News reported. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

June 9, 2020 Atlanta: Voters had a long wait (some 2-3 hours) at the Park Tavern polling place located at 500 10th St NE, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in Atlanta. Many voters said they requested absentee ballots but never received them. Two lines, 300-yards long each formed parallel to Piedmont park in the parking lot as people patiently waited to vote. Over 1.2 million people had already voted before the polls opened on Tuesday, three-quarters of them with absentee-by-mail ballots, allowing them to avoid human contact at the polls. Voters will decide on many candidates, from president to county sheriff. The ballot also includes races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Georgia General Assembly. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

July 6, 2020 Atlanta:. Atlanta police and sanitation crews finished removing protesters and their belongings from outside the Wendy’s on Monday July 6, 2020 where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an officer last month. The last concrete barricade was put in place around noon. Some of the protesters milled nearby while a worker from the BP gas station next door pulled boards off the windows. Monday’s cleanup followed a violent holiday weekend that started Saturday night when 8-year-old Secoriea Turner was fatally shot while sitting in a car near the restaurant. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms denounced the violence in an emotional press conference at police headquarters in which she and Turner’s family urged people to come forward with information about the girl’s killers. About 9:30 a.m. Monday, uniformed officers and multiple workers in neon attire tossed flowers and other items from a makeshift memorial outside the Wendy’s into garbage bags. The site has served as ground zero for protests since Brooks was shot in the parking lot following an attempted DUI arrest in the drive-thru line June 12. The restaurant was destroyed during a large protest the next day. Three people have been arrested on arson charges in connection with the incident. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

April 9, 2020 Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport: A nearly empty Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday April 9, 2020. Coronavirus figures (updated April 8, 7pm): Deaths: 369 | Hospitalized: 2,082 | Confirmed cases: 10,189. The AJC is covering the coronavirus outbreak with a focus on what it means to Atlanta and Georgia. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

February 17, 2020 Atlanta: With reports of entrapment, Atlanta firefighters arrived just before 6 a.m. to a home in the 300 block of Sunset Avenue NW where they found a large volume of heavy fire coming from the roof and the rear of the home Monday morning, Feb. 17, 2020 Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford said. Firefighters following up on a report of someone missing found the homeowner in the rear of the home with minor smoke inhalation. He refused treatment at the scene. There were 5 family members who escaped the burning homer before firefighters arrived. At one point during firefighting operations, the family dog reentered the burning structure where firefighters had to coax the dog back out and into a safe area. Family member, 11-year old Isabella Foster said, “My family grew up in this house. It’s been in my family for generations, since my great grandmother. It’s very devastating for this to happen to this house. I’m sickened.” Stafford said the house, “appears to be a total loss.” The fire is under investigation. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

July 6, 2020 Atlanta:. Atlanta police and sanitation crews finished removing protesters and their belongings from outside the Wendy’s on Monday July 6, 2020 where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an officer last month. The last concrete barricade was put in place around noon. Some of the protesters milled nearby while a worker from the BP gas station next door pulled boards off the windows. Monday’s cleanup followed a violent holiday weekend that started Saturday night when 8-year-old Secoriea Turner was fatally shot while sitting in a car near the restaurant. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms denounced the violence in an emotional press conference at police headquarters in which she and Turner’s family urged people to come forward with information about the girl’s killers. About 9:30 a.m. Monday, uniformed officers and multiple workers in neon attire tossed flowers and other items from a makeshift memorial outside the Wendy’s into garbage bags. The site has served as ground zero for protests since Brooks was shot in the parking lot following an attempted DUI arrest in the drive-thru line June 12. The restaurant was destroyed during a large protest the next day. Three people have been arrested on arson charges in connection with the incident. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

August 11, 2020 Atlanta: Some 70 Fulton County Registration & Election Board workers handled some 20,000 absentee ballots on Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at State Farm Arena located at 1 State Farm Drive in Atlanta. A heated race for Fulton County district attorney saw a light turnout at the polls on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. Incumbent Paul Howard faces his former chief deputy, Fani Willis, in a closely watched contest to become the county’s top prosecutor. Election officials said they learned lessons from the June 9 primary to avoid the kind of extreme lines that some voters encountered last time. Poll workers have been retrained. Technicians were on hand at every voting location in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Voting machines were delivered well in advance of election day. Still, some voters experienced problems and long waits at the polls. Nearly 377,000 Georgians already voted in advance of election day, most of them casting absentee ballots. About 60% of early votes were absentee; the rest were cast in person during three weeks of early voting. With so many voters using absentee ballots, election results might be slow to come in Tuesday night. Absentee ballots will be counted if they’re received by county election officials before 7 p.m., but each ballot has to be fed through a scanner to be counted, a process that can take days. Election officials say it’s normal for absentee vote-counting to take some time. But that means close races might not be settled on election night. The winners of Tuesday’s runoffs will advance to the general election in November, when turnout is expected to break records and exceed 5 million voters. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

January 17, 2020 Atlanta: Atlanta firefighters arrived 3-minutes after being dispatched to a house fire the 300 block of Andrew J. Hairston Blvd. NW on Friday morning, Jan. 17, 2020 where they found heavy fire throughout the structure. Battalion Chief Shawn Manns said crews took a Òdefensive positionÓ until getting a knockdown on the fire, and then teams were sent in for primary and secondary searches which were negative. Manns said the bulk of the fire was in the attic. There were not any initial reports of persons being in the unoccupied residence, but Manns said they are mindful of that with every dispatch. The cause of the fire is under investigation With the weather turning colder, and even colder beginning Sunday night, Chief Mann recommended to the public to ÒPlease be careful with candles, space heaters and fireplaces. Make sure you use fireplace screens so embers donÕt escape. Put out candles before going to bed. And remember our ÒClose Door Campaign.Ó Before you go to sleep, close your bedroom door. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

April 20, 2020 Atlanta: A large billboard visible to Southbound motorists traveling the I-75/I-85 connector states, “Heroes Work Here” referring to the medical worker of Grady Hospital. More and more signs and gestures of thanks are evident across the city and state during the COVID-19 pandemic. Known coronavirus infections in Georgia are nearing 20,000 as the state moves closer to a scheduled end to a shelter-in-place mandate. The Georgia Department of Public Health is reporting 18,947 confirmed cases and 733 virus-related deaths Monday, according to the latest data released at noon. Those figures continue to increase daily, but adjusted projections by a widely cited computer model indicate the crisis in Georgia may have already peaked. Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to detail his plans Monday to reopen Georgia’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic, as he decides how quickly to ease restrictions that have shuttered businesses and required many of the state’s 10.6 million residents to stay at home. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

October 15, 2020 DeKalb County: First responders tended to injured motorists as two multivehicle crashes were to blame for the massive delays drivers experienced Thursday morning, Oct. 15, 2020 on I-85 South, according to DeKalb County police. Two tractor-trailers and at least six other vehicles were involved in the separate wrecks about 6:30 a.m. near the Pleasantdale Road exit, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. DeKalb police investigated one crash, while the Georgia State Patrol worked the other. According to the DeKalb agency, only minor injuries were reported. No other information was available Thursday morning. At one point, all but one right lane was blocked by the crash. The lanes began reopening at 8 a.m., and authorities cleared the scene just before 8:30 a.m., the Traffic Center reported. The trip time between Ga. 316 and I-285 was more than two hours at the height of the backups. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

March 4, 2020 DeKalb County: Crime tape, shattered glass and an order of chicken was all that was left Wednesday morning, March 4, 2020 after gunfire erupted at a DeKalb County fast-food restaurant overnight when a customer complained about his chicken wing order. Chicken was thrown, then shots were fired at the Checkers on Candler Road in the Panthersville neighborhood, the restaurant’s manager told Channel 2 Action News. The customer, a man in his late 30s, was shot once in the upper body. It all started when two men ordered at the walk-up window just before midnight Tuesday, received their food and claimed their order was incorrect, the manager said. The men reportedly started shouting. While they worked to make the correct chicken wings, employees closed the window on the fuming men. According to the manager, one man threw his food at an employee, and the employee responded by pulling out a gun and shooting him. The employee was promptly fired, the manager told Channel 2. He was identified by police as 24-year-old Johnte Robinson. The victim was taken to a hospital for his injury, which police do not consider life-threatening. Robinson was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault and is being held in the DeKalb County Jail. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

January 2, 2020 Gwinnett County : A chaotic scene unfolded in the parking lot of a Gwinnett County QuikTrip on Thursday morning, Jan. 2, 2020 after a tractor-trailer slammed into multiple vehicles and overturned near the gas pumps. The truck was traveling west on Jimmy Carter Boulevard shortly after 7 a.m. when it struck at least two cars that were stopped at a red light at the Brook Hollow Parkway intersection, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The collision sent the tractor-trailer and at least one other vehicle into the parking lot of the gas station, Gwinnett fire spokesman Donald Strother said. Ten vehicles were damaged, and crews that responded to the scene had to free one person from the wreckage, authorities said. That person was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. At the time of the crash, the tractor-trailer was hauling nine rolls of paper weighing about 5,500 pounds each, Strother said. The incident caused major delays in Norcross for drivers heading to work through the area, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Firetrucks and police cars stopped traffic as crews worked to clear the vehicles and remove the debris. They got the big rig in an upright position about 11:15 a.m. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

March 10, 2020 Atlanta: Atlanta firefighter, John McDonald applies foam to the interior of a duplex where a 1-year-old was among four people injured Tuesday, March 10, 2020 in a northwest Atlanta duplex fire. Just before 8 a.m., Atlanta Fire Rescue received a report of a blaze in the 500 block of Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, department spokesman Cortez Stafford told AJC.com. “Once our units did arrive on scene, they did find a duplex with heavy smoke and fire showing on the front of the home,” he said. “There were also a lot of people in the front yard who were directing firefighters to what was going on.” Two people were rescued from the duplex before firefighters arrived, according to Stafford. “As a matter of fact, those people that stopped by were actually city of Atlanta parks and rec employees who saw what was going on and stopped to assist, which we’re very thankful of,” he said. A third person described as a man was later found in a bathroom in critical condition. Stafford did not say where authorities found the fourth person. All four people were taken to a local hospital. In addition to the child and the man, two women were injured, according to Stafford. One had second- and third-degree burns and the other was stable. The condition of the 1-year-old was unknown. No other injuries were reported. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

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Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

October 13, 2020 Gwinnett County: CSX railroad personnel were busy Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020 cleaning up a large train derailment that happened Sunday in Lilburn. Heavy rain caused a 170-car CSX train to derail near Main Street and Camp Creek Road in Lilburn early Sunday, October 11, 2020. When crews arrived, they determined 38 railcars had gone off the tracks. Two CSX employees were trying to get out of a locomotive that had turned onto its side, officials said. They were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

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