Just days after graduating from high school, an 18-year-old was killed in a shooting at the southwest Atlanta apartment complex where he lived, police said Wednesday.
Officers responded just after 10:45 a.m. to an apartment in the 2400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and found Joshua Torrance with a gunshot wound to the back. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition and later died.
Witnesses told police that Torrance argued with the shooter before shots were fired. The shooter got away.
Late Wednesday, police released video of a person of interest. A man can be seen wearing a black hoodie, light shorts and flip-flops.
Torrance’s uncle, Brian Keith Williams, said his nephew would go out of his way to do the right thing.
“The man was smart, intelligent, worked hard, saved his money,” Williams told Channel 2 Action News through tears.
“He knew how to walk away and that’s ... what he was doing, walking away,” Williams said. “Shot in the back.”
Family members said Torrance had just graduated from B.E.S.T. Academy, an all-boys public school, on Friday, according to Channel 2. He was headed to Albany State University in the fall to study engineering or architecture.
Atlanta Public Schools issued a statement on Torrance’s death.
“Joshua was an honors graduate and earned the HOPE Scholarship,” spokesman Ian Smith said. “The APS family extends its deepest sympathies to Joshua’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
If anyone recognizes the person of interest or has any information on this incident, they are asked to contact Crime Stoppers. Information can be submitted anonymously to the tip line at 404-577-8477 or online at www.crimestoppersatlanta.org. A reward of up to $2,000 may be awarded for the arrest and indictment of the suspect.
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