Buckhead shooting victim involved in ‘illicit activity'
The man who was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Buckhead hotel Wednesday was engaged in "some sort of illicit activity," Atlanta police said Thursday.
The man, identified as Stephen B. Pierce, 30, of Fairmount, Ga., has a history of narcotics activity, Atlanta police spokesman Curtis Davenport said.
Police believe Pierce and his attackers exchanged gunfire around 8 p.m. in the parking lot of the Marriott Residence Inn on Piedmont Road. Pierce was shot, and collapsed and died of his injuries, Davenport said. Pierce had checked into the hotel around 5 p.m., APD Major Keith Meadows said.
Witnesses reported seeing the man in the hotel parking lot and then hearing about 10 shots fired, Meadows said. The man fell to the ground near the hotel's office, he said. The suspects fled and are being sought by police.
