A shooting in the parking lot of the Varsity shut down one block of a major Midtown street for several hours Tuesday morning.
Atlanta police told AJC.com a man was shot in the parking lot at the corner of North Avenue and Spring Street. Spring Street was blocked between Ponce de Leon and North avenues in front of the iconic Atlanta restaurant from just before 6 a.m. until about 9:40 a.m.
Officers responded about 5:45 a.m. after gunshots were reported in the area, Atlanta police Capt. William Ricker said from the scene.
“When they arrived, they located a 23-year-old male shot to the lower extremities,” Ricker said. The man, who was found outside a vehicle in the parking lot, was taken to Atlanta Medical Center in serious condition.
His name was not released.
It appears an altercation took place in the parking lot, a police spokesman said after an initial investigation. After the victim was shot, he ran a short distance before he collapsed in the middle of the street.
Ricker said there is a cigar bar nearby, but “whether or not he was coming from there is undetermined at this time.”
A witness in the cigar bar told Channel 2 Action News he heard several shots and hit the ground before bullets came crashing through the business’ window.
Other witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored SUV drive away from the Varsity after the shooting, Ricker said.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
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