Two men were shot and taken to a hospital early Friday morning following gunfire at a downtown Atlanta hookah lounge, Atlanta police said.
One victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds but is stable at Grady Memorial Hospital, police said. That man was not able to give a full account of the incident to authorities, but the preliminary investigation found that the shooting occurred at Chic Restaurant and Lounge at 257 Trinity Ave about 4:30 a.m., according to a news release.
A second victim, who left the the scene when the shooting began, returned home before realizing he had been shot, police said. That man eventually was taken to Grady and confirmed to police that he had been at Chic when the gunfire erupted.
The investigation is ongoing. Police said they do not have a motive or any suspects at this time.
The shooting comes after another violent night in Atlanta. Officers were called to an Exxon station at the corner of West Lake Avenue and Joseph E. Boone Boulevard after a report of a person shot. One victim was found with multiple wounds at about 2:50 a.m., police said. A 23-year-old-woman was also found dead inside an apartment along with a baby who did not appear to be injured, authorities said.
A few miles down the street from Chic, an off-duty security guard was shot multiple times inside RA Sushi on Peachtree Street shortly before 11 p.m., police said. The suspect, who worked at the restaurant, was involved in a dispute with another employee when the victim, who also worked at the restaurant, intervened and was shot, police said.
Atlanta police announced late last year they would be increasing patrols around the city’s nightclubs after a string of shootings. The effort to increase patrols came after five club shootings that left five dead and three injured between August and November 2020.
More recently, a fight April 2 that spilled out of an Atlanta lounge, Bryklyn Kitchen on West Peachtree Place, left a victim injured after a suspect pulled out a gun and began shooting at him.
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