Body of shooting victim found in burning car in NW Atlanta

A homicide detective removes crime scene tape on Center Hill Avenue, where the body of a shooting victim was found inside a car that crashed and burned.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

A homicide detective removes crime scene tape on Center Hill Avenue, where the body of a shooting victim was found inside a car that crashed and burned.

Homicide detectives are investigating after a man’s body was discovered Monday morning in a vehicle that crashed and burned in northwest Atlanta.

Firefighters called to put out the flames on Center Hill Avenue turned the scene over to police once they realized the driver had been shot. Police arrived shortly after 2:30 a.m.

Firefighters work to remove a shooting victim from a burned car on Center Hill Avenue in northwest Atlanta.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

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Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

“There does appear to be signs of foul play from inside the vehicle, so homicide was notified,” Atlanta police Lt. Daniel Genson told Channel 2 Action News from the scene. “We came to the scene, and right now we’re doing the preliminary stages of the investigation.”

Fire crews were needed to cut apart the Dodge Charger in order to remove the man’s body. The mangled, charred vehicle was then loaded onto a trailer and towed away.

The victim was later identified as 40-year-old Justin Cody of Atlanta. Police have not released any further details about his death.

The incident caps off a violent weekend in Atlanta, which played host to Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game and begrudgingly welcomed legions of fans to bars and nightclubs downtown. Between Friday and Sunday nights, Atlanta police responded to at least 13 shootings. Two of those were fatal.

A crumpled and charred Dodge Charger was loaded onto a trailer and towed from the scene.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

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Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

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