Police investigating an officer-involved shooting in the heart of downtown Atlanta early Friday were interrupted by nearby gunshots — twice.
By daybreak, one person was dead and two others wounded in three separate shootings on Forsyth Street.
Atlanta police have recently increased patrols there and will continue following the latest bloodshed, Sgt. John Chafee said.
The violence began shortly before 1 a.m., with a man yelling as he walked near the Greyhound bus station in the 200 block of Forsyth Street, according to a witness. Marquez Redden told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the man seemed “out of it” as if possessed by demons.
Credit: Chelsea Prince
Credit: Chelsea Prince
“When the guy approached me, he told me to get out of the way in the name of Jesus,” Redden said.
An Atlanta officer attempted to speak with the man, later identified as Timothy Bernard Ford, but he became combative, according to a GBI spokesman. Officers used stun guns and pepper spray in an effort to subdue Ford before firing a shot, striking him in the abdomen. The 47-year-old was arrested and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.
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While officers were on the scene investigating the shooting, shots were fired around 2:30 a.m. at a nearby convenience store. The Quick Pick store, where three other people were shot Tuesday night, was again a crime scene, police said.
This time, a 29-year-old woman was shot in the leg and was alert, according to Officer Lisa Bender. Officers chased the suspect, but were unable to locate him.
Credit: Chelsea Prince
Credit: Chelsea Prince
The alleged gunman’s name was not released Friday afternoon, but investigators believe his mother was the woman killed in the next shooting, which happened around 3:50 a.m. and may have been retaliatory. The approximately 57-year-old woman witnessed the first shooting and had spoken with police.
But just a few feet away from the Quick Pick store, she was gunned down in a parking lot, Bender said.
“At this time, the homicide victim’s son is the prime suspect in the first shooting,” Bender said in an emailed statement. “Investigators believe the homicide victim was shot in retaliation for her son shooting the 29-year-old female.”
Atlanta police Lt. Carven Tyus said the second gunman’s actions were brazen due to the police presence in the area.
“It’s very disconcerting that an individual would come up and fire weapons, and there’s a group of police officers standing there on an active crime scene,” Tyus told Channel 2 Action News. “That gives us pause. The officers are using caution when they are out there, and we have officers posted up around the perimeter to ensure that the officers working the crime scene are safe out here.”
Credit: Chelsea Prince
Credit: Chelsea Prince
Atlanta police are investigating the shootings involving the two women. The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Friday’s officer-involved shooting is the 50th of the year in Georgia and the second in less than two months near the bus station. On May 1, an off-duty Georgia State University officer shot a man who tried to attack her, according to police.
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