In seeking help solving a drive-by killing that left multiple victims, Atlanta police said Wednesday they believed the deceased was the intended target.
Lt. Charles Hampton, head of homicide, declined to say why detectives believed Donovan Thomas, 26, was the target Saturday in the Castleberry Hills neighborhood.
He noted the method of attack made the shooting particularly egregious because another man and a 14-year-old boy were also wounded. Those victims who are expected to recover from their injuries are cooperating, he said.
“These criminals need to be caught, they need to be taken off the streets,” Hampton said at a news conference. “At this point we believe our victim was the intended target. He was not a random victim.”
Police released video and pictures Wednesday to the news media in hope someone would recognize the car involved. Hampton also asked the public for help in referring police to any witnesses in the video.
The shooting occurred in the 300 block of McDaniel Street, near Northside Drive around 7:20 p.m.when the victims were in a parking lot outside a barbershop, said Atlanta police spokesman Greg Lyon.
Detectives have not determined whether the shooting was related to gang activity, Hampton said.
“It is a very new and fluid investigation,” he said.
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