Three people were rushed to a hospital early Sunday after an attempted robbery ended in gunfire near State Farm Arena, Atlanta police said.
It was the first of two triple shootings police investigated within the span of two hours Sunday morning. In the second, a disc jockey was arrested after he was accused of opening fire on a crowded southwest Atlanta club, injuring three patrons.
The first shooting was reported about 12:40 p.m. in the 100 block of Centennial Olympic Park Drive, Atlanta police said in a statement. Three victims, two men and a woman, were all stable when they were taken to a hospital.
Investigators determined the victims were injured when a group of people tried to rob them as they were walking back to their car from State Farm Arena, where a 10-round boxing match began at 9 p.m. Saturday. It is not clear if the victims had attended the fight.
“During the robbery attempt, shots were fired and the victims were wounded,” police said. The incident remains under investigation.
In the second triple shooting, officers were sent to the Silver Ultra Lounge on Sylvan Road about 2 a.m. DJ Byron Xavier Alexander, 25, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault, reckless conduct and criminal trespass in connection with the incident.
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Investigators said the DJ had been involved in an argument at the nightclub while he was working. When the manager asked him to leave, Alexander fired several shots at the floor, police said.
One woman was hit by a ricocheting bullet and was taken to a hospital. Two other men later arrived at a hospital and said they had been injured in the gunfire at the nightclub. All three were stable, according to police.
Alexander left the scene but was later found at a gas station up Sylvan Road, police said. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail.
The latest shootings are part of an ongoing surge in violent crime in Atlanta, which has prompted an outcry from rattled residents and business owners. Pressure is building on public officials to put the outbreak at the forefront of their efforts.
On May 4, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the creation of a new working group to provide recommendations for reducing crime amid a spike in homicides and gun violence in the city. She said at the time that the group will provide feedback in the next 30 to 45 days on “what more we can possibly do” in the short term.
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