Three men were ambushed outside a northwest Atlanta music studio after an early morning recording session, police said.
Multiple shots were fired around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday when a group of people exited Patchwerk Recording Studios in the 1000 block of Hemphill Avenue, Atlanta police said. Two were shot multiple times in the leg and a third said he was stabbed in the hand.
While victims and witnesses have been unable or unwilling to tell police what happened, Capt. Andrew Senzer said video surveillance cameras recorded the shooting.
“There were three individuals, black male suspects, who gained access to the northwest corner of the parking lot,” Senzer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There, they ambushed a group of individuals who were exiting the studio, including the three victims.”
The gunshot victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and are expected to recover.
Police believe the three people behind the ambush were carrying semi-automatic pistols. Two were shown on surveillance footage wearing baseball caps, and all three were wearing T-shirts and long pants. Police are still searching for them.
“We have an extensive crime scene with a lot of ballistic evidence that we are collecting right now at the location,” Senzer said.
He said there is one key piece of information homicide investigators are still working to learn.
“At this point, we don't know if they were targeted, if the suspects knew who the victims were and were waiting for them,” Senzer said.
Patchwerk is an established recording studio that has worked on various platinum records and movie productions. The studio’s client list includes artists such as Beyoncé, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Outkast, Toni Braxton and the late Whitney Houston, according to the studio’s website.
It was founded and formerly owned by ex-Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Bob Whitfield.
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“This place usually flies under the radar. It’s been here for about 23 years,” Senzer said. “This is the first incident that I know that Atlanta Police Department has responded to over here.”
—Please return to AJC.com for updates.
