A double shooting in the parking lot of a busy Sandy Springs Kroger that left one man dead and another injured was the result of a botched drug deal, authorities said.
More than a dozen officers responded to the Orchard Park Shopping Center along Dunwoody Club Drive about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday after receiving several 911 calls, Sandy Springs police spokesman Sgt. Sal Ortega said. While en route, police learned two people had been shot and that both were lying in the parking lot.
The first officers on scene provided aid to the victims until paramedics arrived and took both men to a hospital. A 22-year-old Atlanta man died from his injuries and a second man was rushed into surgery, Ortega said. He is expected to survive.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC
The man killed was identified Wednesday afternoon as Yemi Ezekiel Mabiaku.
After interviewing witnesses, investigators determined the fatal shooting was the result of a marijuana sale gone wrong, Ortega said. According to police, both victims came to the shopping center together to “carry out a drug transaction involving a large amount of marijuana.”
“Detectives were able to determine that this was not a random act of violence and learned that all those involved are known to each other,” Ortega said.
During the sale, several shots were fired and the victims were struck, according to police.
Dunwoody resident Trey Lyda had taken his two sons to get their hair cut at the nearby Sports Clips when they heard three or four gunshots outside.
“I was paying to get my kids’ haircuts when I turned around and noticed everybody was scattering across the parking lot,” said Lyda, a videographer who has lived in the area for about eight years.
Lyda said he walked outside and heard one of the victims screaming for help. He was one of several bystanders who called 911. Within minutes, dozens of officers arrived and roped off the parking lot. The Kroger closed for several hours Tuesday evening and residents were urged to avoid the shopping center as detectives collected evidence from the scene.
Sandy Springs police said they are still reviewing evidence and speaking with witnesses, including the surviving victim.
Lyda, who has a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old, said he hadn’t seen that sort of violence since moving to the area from Atlanta.
“I’ve never seen anything such as that,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a haircut my kids will always remember.”
Anyone with information about Tuesday’s deadly shooting is asked to call Sandy Springs detectives at 770-551-6939 or email to JPearson@SandySpringsGa.Gov.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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