A 25-year-old man was in surgery Tuesday morning, hours after he was chased into a busy Midtown restaurant and shot in the stomach and leg.
More than 30 people were inside JCT Kitchen & Bar when Bruno Bafico was shot twice by at least one of several rounds fired outside and two rounds fired inside the popular restaurant, Atlanta police spokeswoman Officer Lisa Bender said.
Bafico and his wife had just arrived at the popular restaurant on Howell Mill Road just before 9 p.m. Monday when they were approached by a gunman in the parking lot, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The gunman demanded the victim's watch, but Bafico refused.
"I jumped up and ran into the kitchen,” witness David Collins told the news station. “People started following me and there were about 15 or 20 of us back in the kitchen."
Bender said the man would have continued shooting even after Bafico fell over a cooler behind the bar.
“The suspect then appears to attempt to shoot the victim while he is laying on the ground,” Bender said. “However, it appears that the gun may have malfunctioned or jammed.”
Afterward, the shooter took off in a black SUV.
Bafico was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in “critical but stable condition,” Bender said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit crimestoppersatlanta.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.
JCT Kitchen is set to reopen at its normal time, the company said in a statement.
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