Atlanta police are trying to track down a gunman who may be connected to two shootings that happened on the same day just 3 miles apart.
Police were first called to investigate a report of a man being shot outside of a southeast Atlanta home. While investigating that incident, officers were called to a hospital where another victim was suffering from a gunshot wound he received in southwest Atlanta.
The shootings happened between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on April 19, according to an incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Officers were first called to a home along Natham Drive after a 15-year-old girl said she saw one man shoot another man in her front yard. The teen told police she was watching television when she heard a loud commotion outside of her house, according to the report.
“She looked out the window and saw two males fighting right under her mailbox,” the police report said.
She then heard about four gunshots as the men continued to fight.
“She then said that she heard one of the males pleading with the other male, saying ‘please don’t shoot,’” the report said.
The gunman shot one more time, and the victim’s body went limp.
Investigators said they determined the suspect shoved the victim into a pickup truck, got into the driver’s seat and drove away. The victim’s fate is not clear, but in a Facebook post police said they found a man with “gunshot wounds to his back and neck.”
An officer at the scene found one bullet casing and a blood spot in the area.
Later, the same Atlanta officer was called to a hospital after Forest Park police alerted 911 dispatchers that a patient had been shot at a location along Cleveland Avenue. Forest Park police initially responded to the shooting because the victim drove himself to a location in their jurisdiction.
The 22-year-old man told police he had been on Cleveland Avenue when he came across a man. The victim said he offered the man a ride, but the man responded by trying to take his wallet and phone, according to the incident report.
At some point, the man pulled out a gun. The victim pleaded for the man not to shoot him and then tried to run away, the report said. As he ran, the suspect fired and struck him multiple times, including in the back of the leg.
Both shootings remain under investigation. Anyone with more information or the suspect’s identity is asked to contact Atlanta police. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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