Anthony and Cynthia Welch were just leaving a birthday dinner when a man shot both of them in the parking lot of a Marietta restaurant.

“We were holding hands going to the car,” Cynthia Welch told Channel 2 Action News, “and (the gunman) must have been in between the cars, because he came out of nowhere.”

The alleged shooter, described as tall with a dark complexion and slim face, ambushed the married couple of 25 years outside a Pappadeaux on Windy Hill Road on Friday night.

According to Channel 2, the man fired at Anthony first and snatched a $5 costume necklace from Cynthia’s neck before shooting at her.

“All I could see was the barrel of his gun pointed right at my face,” she said.

Cynthia looked down to see her husband dead on the ground, Channel 2 reported, as the gunman took off running.

Still bleeding, Cynthia ran back to the restaurant for help.

“People were coming out trying to console,” she told Channel 2. “I tried to get up and run back to my husband, but I was bleeding bad.”

Cynthia still has a bullet lodged under her arm, Channel 2 reported. Doctors will work to remove it at a later date.

Still, she said her husband didn’t have to die over a $5 necklace.

“He didn’t have to kill my husband, he didn’t have to shoot him,” she said.

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Joe Rich had moved to 3935 Paces Manor 2.5 year ago. on Tuesday, Sept. 22,2009, he was trapped at his house with no way out - but a boat. He has been ferrying various things back and forth and is surprised he still has power. Vinings residents were dealing with a major flooding issue Tuesday, as the Chattahoochee River made its way along the banks near Paces Ferry Road.  Many residents with upscale homes were hit hard, some for the second time since an earlier post millennia flooding episode. Since early Monday, seven lives have been taken and several other people remain missing. The record-setting rains also have closed schools and roads and have left people stranded in their homes. The river's level near Vinings was at 27.36 feet before daybreak Tuesday after cresting at 28.1 feet overnight. Flood stage is 14 feet, and anything above 20 feet is considered "major" flooding. (Photo: John Spink, jspink@ajc.com)

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