Two people in plaid shirts have been identified as persons of interest in connection with a deadly shooting Sunday night at Underground Atlanta, police said.
The men were in the crowd when four people were shot, two of whom died during a rap concert at The Masquerade, Atlanta police Officer Lisa Bender said.
Officers were called to the scene just before 9:40 p.m. after shots rang out at the venue on Lower Alabama Street.
They learned two of the four victims got rowdy and climbed onto the stage during a break before the concert’s main act, Bender said.
“Another patron took issue and an argument ensued,” she said.
The patron pulled out a pistol and shot the rowdy concertgoers, according to police. The gunman also fired toward the ground, and “most likely” hit the other victims at that time, Bender said.
The crowd, including the victims and the gunman, ran toward the front exit.
Two people collapsed going up a flight of stairs that lead to the exit, Bender said.
“The suspected shooter, still armed, was witnessed by unarmed security but was not successfully detained,” she said.
One of the victims died on the scene. That person had a gunshot wound to the chest.
The others were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where the second person was pronounced dead with gunshot wounds to the upper and lower torso.
Frailan Ynoa told Channel 2 Action News his brother was one of the victims. The shooter killed 21-year-old Ewell Ynoa and his 22-year-old friend Giovanni Diaz, Fralian Ynoa told the news station.
The two survivors were stable Monday with foot and ankle wounds, officials said.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Bender said.
When The Masquerade relocated last November from its longtime home on North Avenue to Kenny’s Alley, the Underground location had originally been conceived as a temporary space. Management later signed a lease that will last at least 10 years.
Officials announced the deal last month.
Rapper Cousin Stizz, the concert headliner, said he was “completely heartbroken” in a statement posted on his official Instagram page.
“I'm in shock and at a loss of words for the senseless violence,” he said. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.”
Know what’s really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC’s crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.
