APD hopes video aids in Midtown killing probe

Atlanta police detectives hope the public can help identify individuals in a video who may have information about a killing on Spring Street in Midtown over the weekend.

Police continued to investigate the fatal shooting of Morie Brooks, 24, of Peachtree City. He was killed after leaving the QUAD nightclub in the 600 block of Spring Street at 4:38 a.m. Saturday.

The owner of the club said an argument inside spilled to the outside and a short while later Brooks was was slain. He died in the parking lot of The Varsity restaurant, also on Spring Street.

The first few seconds of a surveillance video released by APD and posted on YouTube show three men entering the QUAD after their identification is checked.

The first two are smiling as they put their IDs away. One is wearing a zipped hoodie and the other is wearing a coat with what appears to be a hoodie underneath. The hoods, however, are not covering their heads. The last man coming through the entrance is wearing a hoodie vest, and his arms are exposed. He is also the only one wearing a cap.

The next few seconds show two groups walking along the street, and both appear to be exchanging words as the distance between them grows. In the group walking toward the surveillance camera, five men and a woman constantly look back at the other group while words between them appear to continue.

The last seconds of the surveillance video shows the group with the woman rounding a corner and stopping in a parking lot, where they appear to be exchanging more words with the earlier group. They then seemingly begin to hurry from the spot.

QUAD owner Rick Day, in a statement emailed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, said the shooting stemmed from an argument between two groups inside the club that later escalated on the outside.

“According to witnesses and videotape, two groups of people at a party held at QUAD got into an argument over a comment made to a woman, which then escalated outside,” Day said in his email. “One group including the perpetrator headed north up Spring towards Arby’s and the other group headed south toward Concentra,” an urgent care center on Spring Street.

“When the victim, his friends and brother were in the Lanier [parking] lot next to Concentra at 688 Spring, a further altercation developed resulting in the death of the victim, who died in his brothers arms,” Day said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Homicide Detectives at 404-546-4235 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.