New arrest made in fatal shooting outside Buckhead bar

Murder charges dropped against 2 other suspects
Gaven Burgess

Gaven Burgess

Police have made another arrest in the case of a father of two who was gunned down outside a Buckhead bar in February. But authorities dropped murder charges against two others who were previously arrested for killing the 28-year-old.

Gaven Burgess, 21, was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Sean Mobley, who was killed outside Hole In the Wall off Peachtree Road on Feb. 9.

Sean Mobley

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Atlanta police previously made two arrests in the case, but charges were reduced against one of the men and dropped against the other, prosecutors said.

RELATED: Father of 2 shot, killed outside bar in popular Buckhead shopping center

Mobley was shot in the arm and torso following an altercation outside the bar about 3:30 a.m., police said.

Investigators sought three men seen driving away in a burgundy Nissan sedan and later arrested two of them: 24-year-old Barrett Green and 25-year-old Rodney Hammond.

MORE: 2 arrested in father's deadly shooting outside Buckhead bar

But the murder charge against Green, the alleged driver of the vehicle, was dropped, said Chris Hopper, spokesman for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. He is still charged with hit-and-run, tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of a felon.

The charges against Hammond were dropped after Fulton County Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frazier found he was merely present at the scene and that there was “no evidence that he aided, abetted or encouraged the seemingly spontaneous shooting perpetrated by Burgess,” Hopper said.

Hammond was released from the Fulton County jail March 29 after his murder charge was dismissed and Green was released April 2 after posting a $50,000 bond, jail records show.

Burgess’ attorney, Loletha Hale, said her client was simply defending himself.

“He is remorseful that someone lost a life, but he’s glad that he’s alive and that his friends are alive,” Hale told Channel 2 Action News as Burgess turned himself in.

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