Collier Drive shooting victim identified

A 63-year-old Riverdale man was identified Saturday as the shooting victim at a NW Atlanta park.

Willie Knighton was identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office as the man found Friday morning in a bullet-riddled red Jeep Cherokee. The older-model jeep was parked in front of Collier Park recreation center in the 3600 block of Collier Drive.

Officers responding to a 911 call found Knighton dead inside the Jeep. At least five bullet holes could be seen in the front passenger-side door of the vehicle, and there was another bullet hole in the driver’s door of the vehicle.

Atlanta police Lt. Charles Hampton said detectives had collected evidence, including multiple shell casings, that suggests the shots were fired from outside the vehicle.

Jennifer Murray said she brings her 3-year-old son to the park almost daily.

“It was shocking,” Murray told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This is a park where lots of kids come to play. It’s very disturbing.”

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police, Hampton said.

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