1 killed, 3 injured within hours in separate Atlanta shootings

Two shootings that occurred just hours apart left one man dead and three others injured Friday morning in Atlanta.

The first occurred about 3 a.m. when two men were struck while leaving a downtown hookah lounge, Atlanta police spokesman Officer Steve Avery said. Officers responded to the Encore Hookah Bar and Bistro on Luckie Street and found a man with multiple gunshot wounds.

The man told police he heard gunfire as he left the lounge but never saw the person who shot him. Investigators believe the gunfire came from a passing car, Avery said. While at the scene, police learned of a second victim who arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound. Authorities said that man was also leaving the bar when he was injured in the drive-by.

Neither of the victims knew each other and the shooting remains under investigation, police said.

Four hours later, officers were called to southeast Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood following a second double shooting. Police said two men were rushed to the hospital after gunfire erupted near the intersection of Chamberlain Street and William H. Borders Sr. Drive about 7 a.m.

Atlanta police collect evidence from the scene of a double shooting at the intersection of Edgewood Avenue and William H. Borders Sr. Drive on Friday morning.

The victims were shot multiple times while standing outside, said Lt. Daniel Genson, the department’s homicide commander. The men were listed in critical condition at the time, but Jaques Gresham, 26, died Friday evening at the hospital.

It’s unclear what led to the shooting, but investigators collected about 15 shell casings that appear to have been fired from the same caliber weapon, Genson told reporters.

Investigators spoke with witnesses and reviewed footage from nearby surveillance cameras to identify a blue sedan that was used in the shooting, he said. The road was shut down for several hours Friday morning as police collected evidence from the crime scene.

Police collect evidence from the scene of a double shooting in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighborhood.

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