Two men were discovered shot Friday morning after emergency crews pulled up to a stalled car on the Downtown Connector and found it riddled with bullets.
The driver was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and a passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Atlanta police Lt. Ralph Woolfolk.
The driver, 31-year-old Christian McMiller, later died from his injuries at the hospital, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. The agency identified the passenger as Darius Ford, 29, of Atlanta. According to police, Ford suffered several gunshot wounds to the head.
Police shut down the northbound lanes of the interstate near Fair Road after the discovery was made around 4 a.m., resulting in miles of predawn backups.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Three left lanes reopened at 6:30 a.m., and the remaining lanes reopened about an hour later.
“It was a very robust scene,” Woolfolk said, noting dozens of evidence markers placed on the interstate. “There were several items of ballistic evidentiary value on the scene. It took us quite some time to get this scene processed this morning.”
Investigators focused their efforts on a silver Kia Stinger with bullet holes in its driver’s side. Woolfolk said they recovered two firearms from the vehicle.
It was too early to say what motivated the shooting, he said. Investigators are trying to locate any witnesses and are checking with the 911 communications center to see if any other calls came in around the time the vehicle was discovered.
Traffic cameras on the interstate could also aid their investigation, Woolfolk said.
“We will work through all of that to see what surveillance evidence will be in play,” he said. “But at this time we are working with a substantial amount of ballistic evidence, and we’re also trying to track down anyone who might have heard anything or might have observed anything in reference to this incident.”
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Police said the homicide might have ties to a separate shooting that happened hours later in southeast Atlanta and left two people wounded.
According to a news release, that shooting occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of 7th Street near Hammond Park. Officers responded and discovered a man with non-life-threatening injuries who was taken to the hospital.
Police then found a second victim about a block away in the 300 block of Cleveland Street. Investigators said the shooting resulted from a dispute and the second victim was an “unintended target” wounded by a stray bullet. He was rushed to the hospital in serious condition, according to officials.
Anyone with information about the shooting on the interstate is asked to contact 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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