Police seek witnesses in bar slaying
John Bell is confident someone knows who assaulted his brother three months ago in the parking lot of a south Fulton gentleman’s club.
“There had to be witnesses,” said Bell, whose younger brother, Benjamin Bell, 45, died of severe head trauma eight days after he was attacked outside Riley’s Show Bar on Fulton Industrial Boulevard.
Police agree but, so far, those witnesses aren’t talking.
Fulton County police on Monday made a direct appeal to the public for assistance in solving the mystery of Bell’s death. At the moment, there are no suspects, Sgt. Scott McBride told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We don’t know exactly what happened,” he said.
There’s been conflicting information from bar employees, who told police Bell was not allowed inside on Jan. 26 — the night of the assault — because he was too intoxicated. But evidence has since surfaced that the victim had been inside the club.
John Bell said his brother, a Douglasville resident, was looking for a friend known to frequent Riley’s Show Bar.
“It was kind of uncharacteristic for him to go there,” Bell said of his brother, who was married with four kids ages 1 to 13. “He was not a regular by any means.”
Anyone with information about Bobby Bell’s death is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477 or Fulton police at 404-613-9130.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
