A man suspected of shooting three people in Forest Park on Friday, including one who died, was arrested after a brief pursuit in Cobb County, authorities said.
Victor Baymon, 33, was taken into custody around 5:30 p.m. after crashing a stolen vehicle, Forest Park police said. As of Saturday morning, Baymon remained in the hospital with critical injuries. He is facing charges of malice murder, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He is suspected of shooting three people at two locations in the city and stealing two cars in the course of his crime spree, which began when officials said he followed his ex-girlfriend into a Forest Park tax office.
Baymon was the subject of a manhunt that began before 11 a.m. and involved multiple agencies, including the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol. City buildings were secured and schools were placed on a soft lockdown, which allowed students to be released to their parents. All lockdowns were lifted immediately upon Baymon’s arrest, police said.
The shooting was reported just after 10:30 a.m., according to authorities. At an impromptu news conference Friday afternoon, police Chief Brandon Criss said officers were investigating three separate crime scenes. The primary scene was at ATC Income Tax on West Street, where two people were shot, including an employee, Criss said.
Credit: Mandi Albright
Credit: Mandi Albright
After the shooting at the tax office, Baymon allegedly stole a car from the parking lot and drove about a block before crashing at the Midwood Forest Apartments, Criss said. Baymon then stole a second car from a woman at gunpoint, Criss added.
Baymon then drove to the third scene near the intersection of Old Jonesboro and Simpson roads, Criss said. Once there, he allegedly got out of his car and shot a construction worker who was making repairs at the home. Baymon then got back in the car and drove away, Criss said.
Police identified the man who died as 43-year-old Brandon Harris. The other two victims were immediately taken into surgery and have not been publicly identified.
Harris’ wife, Sheree Hill, told Channel 2 Action News that he was a father to four children and her best friend. She added that he owned several ice cream trucks around town.
“He was such a good person with such a good heart,” she told the news station.
In addition to local law enforcement agencies, Criss said the U.S. Marshals Service and Secret Service were involved in the search for Baymon.
Despite the active manhunt, the area along Forest Parkway had largely returned to normal by about 4:30 p.m. Customers were entering and exiting the ATC tax office, traffic was flowing normally and police had left the area.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Baymon was previously involved in another chaotic search and arrest related to a violent crime in Clayton.
In April 2017, he was accused in the killing of 27-year-old Priscilla Colbert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. More than a week after Colbert was found dead from a gunshot wound at a home in Stockbridge, Baymon was located in a U-Haul truck behind a Golden Corral on Ga. 138. Clayton sheriff’s deputies surrounded the U-Haul and Baymon rammed one of their patrol cars trying to escape, police said.
Court records show that Baymon was charged with multiple counts of murder and aggravated assault, as well as kidnapping and fleeing police. In 2019, a Clayton jury acquitted him on all counts except the charge of fleeing police. Baymon was sentenced to five years in prison, including time already served, and was transferred from the Clayton jail to a state facility. He was released in April 2022, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Baymon also previously pleaded guilty to charges of making terroristic threats and aggravated assault, among others, in 2013, court records show.
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