Attorney says man involved in deadly Gwinnett bar shooting acted to protect others

Samuel Songsy

Credit: Credit: Gwinnett Police

Credit: Credit: Gwinnett Police

Samuel Songsy

A man turned himself in Wednesday evening to police after being on the run since a weekend shooting left two people dead outside a Gwinnett County bar, Channel 2 Action News reported.

His attorney, Jackie Patterson, told Channel 2 that 23-year-old Samuel Songsy admits to firing shots that night. However, Patterson said his client stopped a mass shooting and should be called a hero.

“Mr. Songsy will not be making any statements, but I will tell you this — Mr. Songsy is a hero,” Patterson said. “He should be labeled a hero.”

Songsy faces a charge of aggravated assault for allegedly striking Malik Jett, 26, with a handgun and pointing it at him while they were at the Prime Bar and Grill at 1960 Day Drive in Duluth early Saturday, Gwinnett County police said.

Police said that Jett and James Kim, 47, were both “caught in the crossfire” and killed during a shooting outside the bar around 2:30 a.m., AJC.com previously reported. Kim was the co-owner of the bar.

RELATED: Man wanted after 2 shot dead outside Gwinnett bar

Patterson told Channel 2 Jett began shooting randomly, and that’s when Songsy fired back in self-defense.

“The person that he killed was on a random shooting spree trying to kill anybody in sight,” Patterson said. “So this man has no reason to be charged with a crime. He should be honored by Gwinnett County.”

Police said the shooting was part of an altercation at the bar that also occurred outside in the parking lot and on the sidewalk. Police told the news station there’s an “extended history of fights and similar incidents” at Prime Bar and Grill.

Jail records show that in March, Songsy was arrested in Norcross on a charge of DUI, as well as multiple alleged traffic offenses.

The incident is under investigation, and police said they haven’t determined whether Songsy’s bullets hit and killed Kim.

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