A man was shot and killed during a suspected robbery in the 2000 block of Marietta Boulevard in northwest Atlanta Friday, police have confirmed.
Atlanta Police said the victim was driving southbound just before 3 p.m. They suspect the alleged shooter was hiding in the van to rob the victim.
“(The victim) was struck with a hammer a couple of times and then shot,” Atlanta Police Department Sgt. Ricardo Vazquez said.
The victim was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and later died from his injuries.
Danny Hamilton, a witness to the incident, said he saw someone jump out of the van and flee the scene in a black SUV with a white piece of cloth over the license plate.
“When I ran up to the vehicle there was blood all over,” Hamilton said. “He was moaning.”
Keith Ghant knew the victim and described him as an office furniture installer.
“He would give the clothes off his back to anyone,” Ghant said. “He was one of the nicest people I know.”
Vazquez said it appears to be a brazen crime in the middle of a day on a busy street.
The incident had the street partially blocked just west of the intersection of Marietta Boulevard and Chattahoochee Avenue, causing long traffic delays.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477 or The Atlanta Homicide Unit at 404-546-4235.
-Ben Gray contributed to this report
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