A 59-year-old woman was shot in the head and killed Monday morning in a drive-by outside a convenience store in southwest Atlanta’s Peoplestown neighborhood.
Debra Houston was homeless and was known to spend nights at the 24-hour Family Food Mart on Atlanta Avenue to get out of the cold, her sister Jenetta Houston said. She and another sister, Diane Houston, were coming out of the business about 5:30 a.m. when bullets started flying.
It was not the first time the women were targets of gunfire, Jenetta Houston said. Both Debra and Diane were recently shot in drive-by shootings in the same area days apart, their sister told AJC.com.
“I don’t have a clue why they was targeted,” she said. “A couple of months ago, the same thing happened. Like I told them last time, next time you might not be that lucky.”
Only Debra Houston was shot on Monday morning, Jenetta Houston said. According to Atlanta police, she was unresponsive when officers arrived at the food mart and later pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the shots were fired by someone in a silver crossover SUV. The vehicle drove off after the shooting, homicide unit commander Lt. Pete Malecki said from the scene.
“At this point, we do believe that the female was an innocent bystander,” he said. “We do not believe she was the intended target of this drive-by shooting.”
Her death marks the 114th homicide in Atlanta this year. With more than two months still to go, 2020 has been Atlanta’s deadliest in more than a decade. The city recorded 99 homicides in all of 2019.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Jenetta Houston said she grew up in the neighborhood and has seen it take a violent turn.
“I hope they found out who is doing the drive-bys,” she said. “They not bothering anybody. They walk out the store, and she gets shot down.”
Police are asking anyone with information to come forward. 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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