Three people are dead and two others were injured following four separate shootings early Sunday in metro Atlanta, authorities said.
A span of eight hours separated the shootings, three of which occurred within 5 miles of each other in southwest Atlanta. Investigations are ongoing into the four incidents, none of which appear related, Atlanta police said.
Officers responded to the first shooting about 1 a.m. at a Texaco gas station at 2100 Metropolitan Parkway. The area is located just north of Langford Parkway and west of I-85.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital and died from her injuries, police said. She was identified as 34-year-old Octavia Thompson by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
A motive is unclear at this time, and no information was released by authorities about a suspect.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Two hours later, a man was shot and killed outside a residence in southwest Atlanta, police said, about 2 miles north of the previous shooting.
Officers were called about 2:50 a.m. to the 1100 block of McDaniel Street near Metropolitan Parkway and found the victim with a gunshot wound. He died at the scene, police said. He was identified as 29-year-old Tovis Raines Jr. by the ME’s office.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
A woman who identified herself as the victim’s aunt said he was the father of two young children, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“He was a major part in trying to divert them from what’s going on today,” Tamica Dozier said. “It’s very unfortunate.”
Raines didn’t live in the area and was in the wrong place at the wrong time, family members told the news station. There was a heavy police presence after the shooting, which occurred near Roy Street in the Pittsburgh neighborhood.
The third fatal shooting took place about 8:20 a.m. at a home in the 1700 block of Mary George Avenue in northwest Atlanta. The residence is in the neighborhood of Scotts Crossing near Westside Atlanta Charter School.
When officers arrived, they found a man who appeared to have a head injury and was not breathing. Atlanta fire crews pronounced him dead with “what appeared to be a gunshot wound,” police said. He was identified as 41-year-old Charles Wright.
About seven hours earlier, two women were struck by gunfire during a house party in southwest Atlanta.
At around 1:40 a.m., police were called to the shooting in the 3000 block of Lone Oak Avenue and found both women suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to a hospital and were said to be stable.
According to investigators, two vehicles were situated at a nearby intersection and the occupants fired shots toward the large gathering. Information was not provided about the suspects and “all partygoers fled the scene prior to police arrival,” authorities said.
No arrests were announced in any of the shootings.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact Atlanta police. Tipsters can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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