A 74-year-old man was wounded Tuesday just moments after he and his adult grandson left a business on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and were nearing the West Lake MARTA station, Atlanta police said.

APD spokesman Sgt. Greg Lyon said investigators still don’t know what led to the shooting of the man around 1:30 p.m., but he and his grandson were in the area to conduct “legitimate business.” Lyon said multiple shots were fired from a black pickup that came up behind the grandfather and grandson as they were driving on to an entrance ramp onto Interstate 20.

The grandfather, whose name has not been released, suffered a non-life threatening injury when a bullet grazed his ear, but he was still taken to the hospital. The 20-year-old grandson, who also was not named, was not harmed, Lyon said.

Investigators don’t know why the two were picked, but there were witnesses, Lyon said.

“He was very lucky,” Lyon said. “He ran off the road and hit a light pole while being fired upon. We don’t believe this was random. There’s a purpose behind it. We’re talking to witnesses, trying to verify some information.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

One reader is asking the AJC to help her find cottage cheese made by Mayfield. (Ihar Balaikin/Dreamstime/TNS)

Credit: TNS

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com