Brookhaven police asked for the public’s help Thursday in locating a silver SUV that investigators believe was involved in a fatal shooting in the city last week.
Officers were called to an area of North Druid Hills Road near the I-85 ramp Friday about a person who was hit by a car. The caller said they saw a man’s feet hanging outside the passenger-side door of a Honda Pilot SUV, which had continued onto the southbound ramp of the interstate. There, a passenger was pulled out and dropped along the curb.
“The vehicle was witnessed running over the victim’s feet and legs as they fled the scene,” police said in a news release.
Responding officers found the man, who authorities said was unresponsive and had been shot once in the chest. Wesley Rackley, 28, of Atlanta, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.
After the shooting, investigators looked at surveillance video from businesses and a nearby McDonald’s on North Druid Hills Road. The footage allegedly showed the suspect’s vehicle pulling in and parking at the fast-food restaurant around 3:45 p.m. Rackley and the suspect were then seen talking in the parking lot.
Police said Rackley walked away but returned a short time later and entered the Pilot. His feet were then seen extending outside the vehicle as it left the McDonald’s and turned onto North Druid Hills Road.
On Thursday, police released a photo of the SUV, believed to be manufactured between 2003 and 2008. It had an unknown tag and a large dent in its rear driver-side bumper.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact Brookhaven police at 404-637-0636. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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