Authorities are still reviewing witness accounts after gunfire erupted Friday night during a clash between protesters and a driver who was trying to get past them.
The shooting occurred during a Juneteenth march at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Boulevard just after 8 p.m. Atlanta police officers responded and found a 31-year-old man with at least one bullet hole in his vehicle.
The man was not injured, police spokesman Officer Steve Avery said in a statement.
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According to police, the man told officers he felt threatened by protesters, some of whom were armed, and retrieved a rifle from his trunk. Bystanders captured the incident on their cellphones.
The man told police he was “surrounded by people blocking his path, and while he was stopped he heard gunshots being fired and accelerated past the protesters,” Avery said.
In cellphone footage posted online, however, the man appears to strike one protester standing in front of his Nissan. Several gunshots can be heard as he speeds away.
Editor’s note: This video contains graphic content and explicit language.
Justin Myers told Channel 2 Action News he had to dive out of the way when the man “purposely tried to run me over.” He was not injured.
Myers said cellphone video better depicts what happened before the shooting, he said in an interview with the news station. He wants the driver to face charges.
“The protesters and the marchers weren’t the aggressors,” Myers said. “They were trying to march.”
AJC.com is withholding the name of the driver because he has not been charged with a crime.
One protester, a 59-year-old man, was cited for disorderly conduct and released. AJC.com is also withholding his name because police do not believe he is responsible for the shooting.
“Investigators are reviewing the accounts of the incident and working to determine if additional suspects can be identified,” Avery said in the statement.
— AJC staff writer Chelsea Prince contributed to this article.
