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Torpy At Large

JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

OPINION: Flying this summer? Roll the dice and wait a while
Billy Sunday Birt, the Georgia gangster most associated with the so-called Dixie Mafia, was convicted of murder and spent 43 years in prison, more than half his life, Photo: Billy Sunday Birt

Credit: Billy Sunday Birt

OPINION: The Dixie Mafia and the enduring tales of murder
After more than 50 years with Atlanta Legal Aid, 42 as its chief, Steve Gottlieb is stepping down. Photo by Bill Torpy

Credit: Bill Torpy

OPINION: After 50 years fighting the poor getting fleeced, Legal Aid chief to step aside
More from Bill Torpy
September 7, 2021 Atlanta: Police are investigating an early morning shooting that left a man in critical condition at an apartment complex in south Atlanta on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. Officers were called to Pavilion Place apartments in the 500 block of Cleveland Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. about a person shot. A man was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said. As investigators continue looking into the case, Atlanta police have not released any information about a suspect or why the shooting occurred, spokesman Officer Steve Avery said. The shooting is one of a string of fatal and non-fatal apartment incidents around the city Tuesday morning. Around 1 a.m., Atlanta police said they found a man with a stab wound to the chest at the Santafe Villa on Metropolitan Parkway. Police said the fatal stabbing may have happened after an argument with a neighbor. The neighbor was detained for questioning, authorities said. Less than an hour later, police said a man fatally shot himself after shooting a woman at the Glen Iris Lofts located just a block away from Ponce City Market. The woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

OPINION: Profiting from poverty, the super-sized version
The Atlanta City Detention Center and the Fulton County Jail.

Credit: AJC File

OPINION: Closing Atlanta’s jail doesn’t make dollars or sense
Atlanta rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, appears virtually before a Fulton County Magistrate judge on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

OPINION: Young Thug and alleged crew will probably stew in jail
A flag flies at half-mast at Daniel Defense’s headquarters in Black Creek, Ga., May 27, 2022. After one of its military-style rifles was used in the Texas elementary school shooting on Tuesday, the gun manufacturer published a pop-up statement on its home page sending “thoughts and prayers” to the community of Uvalde, Texas, and pledging to cooperate with the authorities. (Dylan Wilson/The New York Times)

OPINION: Georgia gunmaker the choice for mass slaughter
Randy Evans, a Georgia lawyer who was ambassador to Luxembourg, fought a battle to help solve a long-running dispute over the Holocaust.

Credit: Courtesy of Randy Evans

OPINION: How a Georgia ambassador helped unwind a Holocaust dilemma
Former Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine faced frequent scrutiny from the media during his 16 years in statewide office. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

Credit: Curtis Compton

OPINION: Oxendine was always Teflon. So, is ‘The Ox’ finally gored?
DA: Young Thug’s own music, social media used in indictment against him

OPINION: Young Thug: A stage name? Or a way of life?
Once again, the intersection of North Decatur Road and Superior Avenue was the scene of a serious wreck. Last week a car blew through a red light, according to police. and slammed into a Prius. The driver was knocked unconscious but survived. Photo courtesy of Decaturish and Adam Francois Watkins

Credit: Decaturish and Adam Francois Watkins

OPINION: Decatur’s ‘Intersection of Death’ just can’t get fixed
March 21, 2022 Atlanta: A 15-year-old boy was shot Monday morning, March 21, 2022 at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex, police said. The shooting happened around 10:30 a.m. at Oakland City West End apartments in the 1100 block of Oakland Lane. The teen was shot in the arm and the bullet went into his stomach after two men in a white Kia pulled up next to him, Sgt. Michael Young with the Atlanta police aggravated assault unit said. ÒThe gentleman was outside with his friends hanging out when a white vehicle, a Kia, pulled up, asked him a question, then an argument ensued and then (someone in) the white Kia shot the young man,Ó Young said. The teen, who is from Clayton County, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and is in surgery in critical condition, Young said. Police do not know what the shooter asked the teen or if the two suspects knew the victim. Minnie Pearl, who has lived at the apartment complex for six years, said she called 911 as soon as she heard a gunshot and spotted the bleeding victim. ÒI heard a shot and I heard somebody scream,Ó she said. ÒI saw a child, a kid lying on the floor bleeding. And when I walked over, I seen the blood coming from his arm.Ó But Monday morningÕs scene is nothing out of the ordinary for Pearl, who said there was another shooting two weeks ago and that gunshots are background noise. ÒWe go through this every day. We see this every day,Ó Pearl said. ÒThey shoot all throughout the night, the day, broad daylight, 12 oÕclock at night, and it be right there by my window.Ó Another neighbor, Maria Parker, said more security in the area could curb the frequent gun violence, which she says prevents children from being able to play outside. Police did not release any information about the suspects but said they are looking through camera footage in hopes that it caught the incident. Young said authorities are trying to determine if the victim is still in school. MondayÕs victim is one at least six teens shot in metro Atlanta this year. Earlier in March, 16-year-old Joshua Adetunji died after being shot near the Atlanta Fair on its opening weekend. A 14-year-old and 19-year-old were also injured in the incident. In late January, 17-year-old Havord Head was fatally shot at The Commons apartments on Middleton Road. Investigators said they believed the shooting stemmed from a robbery involving narcotics. Earlier that month, 15-year-old Kelvice Roberson Jr. was shot and killed at the Dunbar Neighborhood Center along Windsor Street. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

OPINION: There’s a teen violence tsunami. Or is there?
The body of a man who was found shot and dead inside a sedan is lifted into a van. The sedan crashed into a fence at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex on Friday, April 15, 2022. The crash occurred outside of the Donnelly Courts apartments. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

OPINION: Shootings down, homicides up. The mystery of Atlanta’s murders
Scenes from The Battery outside of Truist Park on Nov. 4, 2021. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Ben Gray

OPINION: Braves not Truist to their word on new tax handouts
March 15, 2022 Atlanta: Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens (right) Police Chief, Chief Rodney Bryant (left) exit the press conference after talking about how AtlantaÕs homicide detectives have made arrests in 72% of this yearÕs killings on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Speaking at a joint news conference at AtlantaÕs public safety headquarters, Mayor Andre Dickens and Chief Rodney Bryant also vowed to hire more police officers and double down on efforts to curb street racing across the city. Atlanta police have investigated 33 homicides since the start of the year, up from 24 through this time last year, records show. But homicide investigators have made arrests in about three quarters of those cases, Dickens said, praising the department for Òcracking down on violent crime.Ó ÒI want to stress to the would-be offenders out there that if you think you want to commit a crime in this city, you might want to think again,Ó Dickens said. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

OPINION: The hunt for a new Atlanta police chief looks like an inside job
The body of a man who was found shot and dead inside a sedan is lifted into a van. The sedan crashed into a fence at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex on Friday, April 15, 2022. The crash occurred outside of the Donnelly Courts apartments. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

OPINION: Shootings down, homicides up. The mystery of Atlanta’s murders
Scenes from The Battery outside of Truist Park on Nov. 4, 2021. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Ben Gray

OPINION: Braves not Truist to their word on new tax handouts
March 15, 2022 Atlanta: Atlanta Mayor, Andre Dickens (right) Police Chief, Chief Rodney Bryant (left) exit the press conference after talking about how AtlantaÕs homicide detectives have made arrests in 72% of this yearÕs killings on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Speaking at a joint news conference at AtlantaÕs public safety headquarters, Mayor Andre Dickens and Chief Rodney Bryant also vowed to hire more police officers and double down on efforts to curb street racing across the city. Atlanta police have investigated 33 homicides since the start of the year, up from 24 through this time last year, records show. But homicide investigators have made arrests in about three quarters of those cases, Dickens said, praising the department for Òcracking down on violent crime.Ó ÒI want to stress to the would-be offenders out there that if you think you want to commit a crime in this city, you might want to think again,Ó Dickens said. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

OPINION: The hunt for a new Atlanta police chief looks like an inside job
Townes Purdy, a senior at Druid Hills High School, describes conditions at the school in a recently released video. A group of students and parents there want to get a rebuild of the school.

Credit: Video screen shot

OPINION: Druid Hills High video casts light on racial and regional debate
March 29, 2020 Atlanta: Alex Guiterrez (left) and Gavin Studdard make their way home through the crowd on the Atlanta BeltLine trail while making a beer run on Sunday, March 29, 2020, in Atlanta. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: Curtis Compton

OPINION: When Beltline stroll becomes roller derby
July 14, 2021 Atlanta - Commissioner Lee Morris (left) and Commission Chairman Robb Pitts confer during a meeting at the Fulton County government building in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Michel “Marty” Turpeau IV, chairman of the embattled Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC), announced Monday he will end his dual role as interim executive director, effective Aug. 31. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

OPINION: It’s election season, time for Fulton County to make more noise
July 14, 2021 Atlanta - Commissioner Lee Morris (left) and Commission Chairman Robb Pitts confer during a meeting at the Fulton County government building in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Michel “Marty” Turpeau IV, chairman of the embattled Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC), announced Monday he will end his dual role as interim executive director, effective Aug. 31. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

OPINION: It’s election season, time for Fulton County to make more noise
220329-Atlanta-Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens leads a press conference Tuesday, Mar. 29, 2022, to announce the formation of a unit targeting repeat offenders. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Ben Gray

OPINION: Deja vu on the Atlanta crime front? Maybe this time a break
06/26/2020 - Atlanta, Georgia - Georgia Senators throw paper in the air as the legislative session comes to an end in the Senate Chambers on Sine Die, day 40, of the legislative session in Atlanta, Friday, June 26, 2020. (ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM)

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

OPINION: Crazy idea here - Give legislators a pay raise
Cannabis plants grow in the greenhouse at a medical marijuana cultivation facility.

Credit: Drew Angerer

OPINION: The time I bought marijuana for my son in a Petco parking lot
Central figure of City Hall corruption probe heads to trial for steering millions in contracts

OPINION: Atlanta bribery trial is a chilling lesson on city contracting
John King, longtime Doraville police chief, was sworn in Monday as acting state insurance commissioner

Credit: James Salzer

OPINION: Trump’s animosity digs down deep into the Georgia ballot
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