A man shot in the back of the head while driving his truck in Atlanta’s West End Thursday night appears to be “just an unfortunate victim of the circumstances,” police told Channel 2 Action News.
The man was driving a pickup truck in the 800 block of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard when he was shot around 9:45 p.m. He lost control of the vehicle, careened into a utility pole and drove up onto a sidewalk before he crashed and hit a man on a bicycle, Atlanta police said.
Both men were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and are expected to recover. Police said the driver, 42-year-old Tobias Thomas, was in critical but stable condition, while the cyclist’s leg injuries were described as serious. He was identified by police as Oumar Dia, 38.
The shooting happened near the Mall at West End, where police said three men were seen arguing. Two men went inside a store, Channel 2 reported, but the third reportedly stayed outside and began shooting.
“And he fired a few shots, wasn’t even looking the direction the weapon was pointed,” Senzer told Channel 2.
It’s possible those shots were fired as a warning or as a means of intimidation, he said.
Joe Chou, a local restaurant owner, told the news station he heard as many as 10 gunshots.
“It was a lot of gunshots. Maybe 10 … it was crazy, crazy,” Chou said. “All the customers ran into the restaurant and then into the kitchen.”
The shooter, and the other men involved in the dispute, then fled the scene. Investigators are now interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance video in an effort to identify him.
“At this time, the suspect is being described as a black male wearing a black hoodie, black and white basketball shorts, and white tennis shoes,” police said in a statement.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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