A man was rushed to a hospital in critical condition Thursday morning after he was shot outside a gas station in southwest Atlanta.
He was one of two men shot inside an SUV at a Chevron on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Peyton Road, according to Atlanta police. Both of the victims were outside the vehicle when the first officers arrived shortly after 5:30 a.m.
Capt. Dorian Graham, APD’s night commander, said investigators don’t know who shot the men as they don’t have any credible witnesses.
“We think that the males were sitting inside of the vehicle and then somebody came by and shot it up,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from the scene. “Like I said, right now we don’t know why. The investigation is still very, very preliminary.”
Investigators were gathering evidence Thursday morning. Their work appeared to be focused on a black Dodge Durango with its windows shot out. Articles of clothing, including a lone sneaker, were on the ground beside the vehicle.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
A black handgun was also photographed at the scene. Graham said it looked like both victims were shot multiple times.
“It looked like one was shot in the lower extremities, and it looked like another one was shot in the upper part of the body,” he said.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
The man who was critically injured was stable before he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, he said. The other was also taken to Grady, and his injuries were less severe.
According to a police spokesman, one of the shooting victims was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear in court. A third person who was not injured was arrested at the scene on a charge of possession of stolen property.
None of their names were released.
Investigators don’t know what the wounded men were doing at the gas station. They are trying to track down any available surveillance footage from the parking lot and the surrounding area, Graham said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to come forward. Tipsters 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.
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