A member of the Atlanta Police Department’s crime scene investigation unit bent over to retrieve a handgun from a grassy lot in southwest Atlanta late Wednesday.
Authorities said the gun — abandoned under a 60-foot oak tree flanked by new construction townhomes and a run-down building — was the same one a fleeing suspect produced before being shot by multiple officers.
The suspect, identified only as a man in his 20s, was in surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital on Wednesday night and in stable condition. Few other details were released regarding the shooting, which occurred near the intersection of Garibaldi Street and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard.
Atlanta police Capt. Michael O’Connor said the department was “not prepared” to release information regarding the original stop, but did say that several officers responded to the initial “chase call.”
O’Connor said he believed “more than one” officer fired at the suspect, who allegedly led police on a foot chase covering several blocks around 7 p.m. The number of shots fired was unclear, O’Connor said, adding that he was unsure if the suspect fired at officers.
The suspect was believed to be “local,” police said. O’Connor said it was unclear if he was running away from police when the shots were fired.
“We know he ran away from officers initially,” O’Connor said, “but how the actual shooting took place we can’t confirm one way or another at this time.”
Per department policy, any officers who fired shots will be placed on a minimum of three days’ administrative duty, O’Connor said.
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