Two men were fatally shot by a passenger in their vehicle before crashing in a Forest Park neighborhood Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.
Forest Park police responded to what they initially thought was a crash along Bartlett Road near Watts Road, which is not far from Jonesboro Road. When officers arrived, they found the victims inside a red sedan, police Chief Brandon Criss told Channel 2 Action News at the scene. Investigators believe the crash took place at the top of a hill, and the vehicle rolled to where it was found.
The victims, identified by authorities as Edwin Dominguez, 23, and Jonathan Bustamante Zuniga, 21, are believed to have been shot before the crash by someone inside the vehicle, department spokesperson Javon Lloyd told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Investigators believe the suspect was in the back seat and was still inside at the time of the crash before running away, he said.
Officials have not said what sparked the shooting or if they’ve identified the suspect. No other details have been released by police.
In a GoFundMe account organized by the victims’ families to help with funeral expenses, the men were described as beautiful souls taken too soon.
“We are all devastated by the tragedy that took the lives of two loved ones,” the families wrote. “They were taken from us at such a young age. They had a life full of ambitious goals ahead of them. If you knew them, you would know how smart, humble and hard-working young men they were.”
For hours following the shooting, several blocks of Bartlett Road were blocked off and neighbors were told to stay indoors or avoid the area as the investigation unfolded.
Nashawn Callahan, who lives nearby, told Channel 2 that he saw the vehicle speeding up and down the street before the shooting.
“Once they got to the top of the hill, I’m not sure if they got into an incident where somebody got hurt or anything like that, but I did see the car roll back like basically nobody was driving,” he said.
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