Police identifies cook who was fatally shot at Mexican restaurant

A cook was killed Thursday after a man slipped in the back of a Mexican restaurant and opened fire, Clayton County police said. 

The suspect entered the El Ranchero through a propped door in the kitchen, Clayton police Sgt. Ashanti Marbury said. 

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY: Want more stories like this one? Go to www.myajc.com/crime/

“He ran in, fired several shots and left,” Marbury told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There was nothing that would lead us to believe it was robbery related.”

The cook was identified Friday as 31-year-old Nicolas Aquinaga. 

Marbury said the shooting could be targeted, but detectives are still investigating the scene. The suspect’s face was covered, so a description of him is vague, Marbury said. 

No one else inside the restaurant was injured. The business was open at the time of the shooting around 5:30 p.m.

Know what’s really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC’s crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.

In other news: