A witness shot a suspect in a deadly stabbing Monday morning after following the knife-wielding man from a southwest Atlanta gas station to a nearby apartment complex, police said.
Investigators believe the suspect, identified as Malcolm Elroy Sanders, lunged at the witness with a knife, and the witness responded with gunfire, according to Atlanta police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. The two violent encounters took place about a block apart on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the Harland Terrace neighborhood.
According to Hampton, a man was stabbed multiple times about 6:20 a.m. at the Texaco at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Peyton Place and later died at Grady Memorial Hospital. He was identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 39-year-old Brandon Scott.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
“What we know is that the victim stopped here at this Texaco gas station, came back outside to his vehicle and noticed that someone was inside of his vehicle,” the deputy chief told reporters from the gas station scene. “Some type of physical altercation ensued, and that’s where he was stabbed.”
According to an incident report obtained Friday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, interviews and video surveillance revealed to officers that the victim approached Sanders after seeing him near his vehicle and “struck him multiple times, initiating a physical altercation.” At some point, Sanders gained control of the fight and stabbed Scott, the report states.
A witness, described as a “concerned individual,” followed the stabbing suspect as he walked one block west to the Seven Courts Apartments in an attempt to provide police with information, Hampton said. Some sort of confrontation took place, and the witness fired multiple times at Sanders, he said.
Sanders was shot at least once in the leg, according to the incident report. The witness was being questioned Monday morning at Atlanta police headquarters. Investigators have not determined if he will be charged.
“Obviously, we don’t encourage anyone to get that involved, but if the circumstance is that an individual was coming at him with a weapon, he does have a right to defend,” Hampton said. “That will be under investigation.”
Sanders remains at the Fulton County Jail, where he is charged with murder.
Both scenes were active for hours Monday morning. Hampton said officers recovered both the witness’ handgun and Sanders’ weapon used in the deadly stabbing, which were found at the apartment complex.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
The unusual incident caught the attention of Atlanta City Councilwoman Andrea Boone, who represents District 10 which includes Harland Terrace. In a statement, Boone emphasized the importance of safety at local businesses and said that “acts of random violence like the one that occurred this morning at the Texaco on the corner of Martin Luther King Drive are a detriment to our neighborhoods and communities.”
Boone invited members of the community to attend municipal court Thursday when the councilwoman will testify in a hearing about a different gas station on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive she deemed a “nuisance property.”
That gas station, a Citgo located at 3657 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, has been the subject of nearly 100 calls to 911, Boone said. One of those calls was placed last month, when two people were injured in a shooting at the gas station. In January, a man was shot and killed there.
Staff writer Caroline Silva contributed to this article.
