Police were working Thursday to determine whether the fatal shooting of a man walking home from a southwest Atlanta bus stop is related to other overnight armed robberies in the area.
The victim, who family members identified as 21-year-old Timmy Ashley, was shot and killed around midnight Wednesday during a robbery attempt near the intersection of Danforth and Cascade roads. Ashley had graduated from high school with honors and planned to become a Marine biologist, relatives told Channel 2 Action News.
"He was a very loving person. Whenever anyone saw him, he always had his arms out, hugging, kissing, loved by all is cousins," Michael Ashley, the victim's father, told Channel 2.
Howard Ashley, the victim's uncle, said, "He catches the train to the bus, and then he walks the quarter mile home every evening ... and someone or some people just took his life."
Atlanta police Capt. Adam Lee III told Channel 2, "He may have walked or ran maybe 20 or 30 yards from the location where he was shot."
There were two other armed robberies in the same neighborhood just before the man was shot, Lee said. The victims in all three incidents were apparently chosen at random.
Michael Ashley said of his son, "This is not a random person. He has a family who loves him ... and we want these people to be found."
About the Author
