Another weekend of violence in Atlanta left 14 people shot, two fatally. It followed a weekend where 12 people were shot, one fatally.
The founder of an Atlanta animal shelter says the recent weekend of mayhem also left rescued dogs and cats traumatized.
“It was scary,” Gracie Hamlin, founder of the W-Underdogs shelter, said Tuesday. One of this past weekend’s shootings happened next door to the shelter, located in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood.
Vehicles rammed into the shelter’s building, rattling the animals’ kennels, Hamlin said. One vehicle caught fire outside and the sound of fireworks persisted all weekend, she said.
“They just didn’t stop,” Hamlin told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They just kept going until the morning hours.”
Since the cats and dogs at the shelter are rescues, many have already come from difficult situations or were surrendered by owners unable to take care of them. The financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has also affected animals, Hamlin said.
Atlanta police increased patrols in anticipation of Sunday’s NBA All-Star game, which drew visitors to the city although the NBA did not sanction any fan activities, ticketed events or hospitality functions. APD implemented 12-hour shifts and canceled days off for certain officers during the weekend. City and police leaders also advised travelers not to cause trouble.
On Monday, a spokesman for the police department said all of the victims and suspects in the weekend shootings are believed to be metro Atlanta residents.
Hamlin relived the weekend in social media posts, in hopes of bringing more attention to the need to end the ongoing violence.
“The NBA All-Star weekend may be a lot of fun, but for us in the inner city of Atlanta, this weekend became a nightmare,” the shelter’s social media post read. “Vehicles rammed our building, literally moving the walls of our kennels. There were constant helicopters doing flyovers, and 14 shootings occurred nearby. Fireworks were set off all night long. A car exploded in back of our property, and a man was shot next door last night. We were terrified, and our rescued animals suffered unnecessary anxiety from the constant loud noise.”
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