An argument between two groups of men led to a shooting that wounded four adults and two children who were attending a reunion in a city park of tenants of the former Capitol Homes Saturday, according to a report released Monday.
One of the persons shot, Justin Ushery, was arrested soon after the shots were heard around 8:15 p.m. on charges of obstruction and reckless conduct. The 23-year-old was released from the Fulton County Jail on Sunday after posting a $2,000 bond.
Tiffany Walker, 27, also was arrested after the shooting on a reckless conduct charge. She told police at the scene that her Ruger 9 mm had been stolen from her car. She said the weapon was on the front seat of her car parked adjacent to Rawson-Washington Park and the windows were open.
“She had left a loaded firearm, in plain view and within reach of any pedestrian that walked past the vehicle that was parked centrally in a crowded park which contained many children,” the report said.
One of the three guns recovered after the shooting was a Ruger 9 mm, according to a police report.
Walker was still in jail Monday afternoon. He bail was set at $1,000.
Celebrants were in the park near the state Capitol as Capitol View Apartments, a property that was once the location of a housing project.
An officer announced on the police radio “a large gathering at the park … seemed to be getting out of hand,” and he needed help.
Seconds later the officer heard shots, and he saw a man wearing a red shirt running away. The report said the man dropped the gun as he sprinted away.
Then there were more shots and the officer saw a second man, wearing a green shirt, toss a gun and run into the apartment complex.
“The general consensus of the occurrences that led up to the shooting was that two separate groups of males were in attendance at the party, began to argue which then led to several individuals brandishing weapons and firing at each other,” according to the report. “The exact specifics concerning the verbal argument or the individuals involved could not be determined. Several crime scenes were located as well as a few shell casings spread throughout the area.”
Six people were wounded in the “firefight,” but none of them had life-threatening injuries, police said.
A 1-year-old was shot in the foot. Sharekeya Jackson, 29, was shot in her right leg. Darious Sims, 25, was shot in the left foot. Zemekia Davis, 21, was shot in the left hand. A 16-year-old was wounded. Schronda Fleetwood, 26, went to Grady Memorial Hospital later and “stated that she was trampled when the shooting occurred (visible injury to her lip).
Ushery was shot in both legs.
The report said another officer stopped Ushery moments later because he matched the description of the man in a red t-shirt seen running away after discarding a handgun. Ushery was wearing a white t-shirt, however, an officer wrote.
The report said the policeman who had seen two armed men running away from the park said Ushery was one of them.
Police continue to look for the shooters.
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