Two men, just one year apart in age, probably didn't know each other. But both likely died within minutes of one another following a quick string of events in DeKalb County.
After a martial arts expert and entertainer was shot and killed at the historic Starlight Six Drive-In, a man headed to babysit for a family member was hit and killed by a DeKalb County police officer headed to the homicide scene early Tuesday, police said.
Tuesday afternoon, officers were still searching for the man accused of killing a man that police believe was only asking for help. But it wasn't clear what prompted the alleged gunman to shoot at the area's last remaining drive-in.
Mitt Lenix, 28, was at the Starlight, a metro Atlanta landmark on Moreland Avenue, when he apparently was having car trouble and approached 32-year-old Quentric S. Williams for help, Mekka Parish, spokeswoman for DeKalb County police, told the AJC.
Williams shot Lenix and then drove off, Parish said.
An off-duty DeKalb officer working at the drive-in heard the shots and rendered aid to Lenix, who later died after being transported to a hospital, Parish said.
A concerned citizen called 911 after the shooting and followed the suspect's vehicle until officers caught up Williams, chasing him nearly to the DeKalb-Gwinnett line on Lilburn-Stone Mountain Road.
The chase ended when Williams wrecked the car, but he jumped out of the vehicle, ran and eluded officers, Parish said. Gwinnett officers assisted in the search for the suspect. A female passenger with Williams was detained, but later released from police custody, Parish said Tuesday afternoon.
Police did not say how they identified Williams as the alleged shooter.
Meanwhile, DeKalb Officer Jason Copper was headed to assist fellow officers with the chase when he struck a pedestrian trying to cross Memorial Drive, police said.
Clinton Hightower, 27, who police said was not in the crosswalk when he was hit, died at the scene. Hightower's parents told Channel 2 Action News they've heard from witnesses who say the police car's blue lights were not activated and he was speeding at the time he struck their son.
"The investigation into this accident is ongoing," Parish said in a statement to the AJC. "Detectives are looking into when the officer’s lights were activated and if the siren was on as well as it will determine how fast he was traveling."
Hightower was headed to his sister's home to babysit when he was struck, according to his parents, Michael and Anna Maria Davis.
"We definitely need to know something, why it happened, why his lights weren't on, why 80 miles an hour," Michael Davis said. "And why you took my son's life. That's what he took."
Friends of Lenix called the martial arts expert an extraordinary performer who was using his talents to entertain others at the Georgia Renaissance Festival.
"He's just one of the most incredibly talented performers we've ever had at the festival, and he's going to be so missed," Sarah Petermann, spokeswoman for the festival, told the AJC by phone Tuesday afternoon. "For us, it was like losing one of our own."
At the festival, Lenix performed as part of duo that did stunts, such as one that required Lenix to jump nine feet in the air and kick a balloon to pop it, Petermann said.
"He was someone who had the technique to protect himself, but he didn’t use it that way," Petermann said. "He used it for entertaining."
Lenix was also a member of the Georgia National Guard, his family told Channel 2.
While friends and family members grieved the loss of the two victims Tuesday, others were shocked to learn that the Atlanta drive-in, which first opened in 1949, was the scene of a deadly crime.
Native Atlantan Suellen Germani, 46, told the AJC she's part of a group of movie-lovers called the "Drive Invaders" that heads to the Starlight every Wednesday night from April to September. Group members vote on which movies to watch, then arrive early with lawn chairs and boom boxes to get front-row seats, Germani said.
“It's sad, but I really view this as a random act of senseless violence," Germani said. "I’ve been coming out there for 15 years now and have never felt threatened or unsafe. When we come out there, it’s part of living in Atlanta that you have to be observant of your surroundings."
Germani said she was part of the group, years ago, that suggested the idea for the Drive Invasion, a popular music festival held Labor Weekend at the Starlight. In recent years, new generations have enjoyed the drive-in experience, with some movie-goers bringing along young children along for a family outing, Germani said.
On its Facebook page, the drive-in posted a statement about the shooting, thanking emergency responders and patrons who stepped in to help.
"We are saddened by last night's inconceivable events. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who are affected by this person's random, rare and grotesque actions," the statement said. "Let's show the world this is not what Atlanta is about."
Germani said the killing will not keep her group from returning to the drive-in. "I'm certainly going there tomorrow. We're not going to stop."
-- Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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