One year since two men were shot and killed on the same day in separate incidents in northeast Atlanta, police are still working to identify suspects.
On Wednesday, law enforcement gathered in the Poncey-Highland and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods with the hope of getting assistance from neighbors and gathering additional leads that might help solve the cases of Dean Phillips and Ned Jackson, who were both killed Oct. 27, 2022. With flyers in hand, officers went door to door in the area near North Avenue and John Lewis Freedom Parkway asking residents if they may have witnessed the shootings.
“It’s been an active investigation since. We are employing every aspect, every avenue to identify these suspects,” said Atlanta police Lt. Germain Dearlove, adding that “so many things occurred during the year that sometimes people forget about certain things. We just want to bring it to light to our community partners for further assistance.”
Jackson was gunned down in an alley on Boulevard and Phillips was fatally shot outside Manuel’s Tavern on North Highland Avenue. There is a $25,000 and a $5,000 reward being offered by Crime Stoppers of Atlanta for information regarding suspects in Phillips’ and Jackson’s cases, respectively.
Jackson was found with a gunshot wound to the back of his head around 9:10 p.m. in the 600 block of Boulevard. According to detective Summer Benton, the accused gunman “decided to go on a shooting spree in Atlanta” before killing Jackson.
The suspect began his evening by shooting at a vehicle turning off North Highland onto Ponce de Leon Avenue, Benton said. An hour later, Benton said the suspect went to a gas station on Boulevard near North Avenue and tried to shoot another person, but his gun jammed. About an hour later, the man pursued someone down Boulevard and tried to shoot them, but Benton said he missed again.
“In his frustration, he saw a man sleeping on the sidewalk and decided, ‘I’m going to shoot him,’ and his name is Ned Jackson. He was an innocent man doing absolutely nothing to no one,” Benton stated.
Credit: Atlanta police
Credit: Atlanta police
Atlanta police were quickly able to pull surveillance footage of the suspect and the vehicle he was seen driving, but he remains unidentified. The gunman was wearing a gray hoodie, black sweatpants and Nike sneakers and was driving a white Mercedes-Benz sedan. Benton said there is a strong possibility that the vehicle did not have a license plate the day of the shooting.
That same evening, and only about a mile away, Phillips was shot outside Manuel’s Tavern after noticing a man attempting to break into cars around 11 p.m., friends and witnesses said. Phillips, 54, confronted the man before he was shot once in the chest. Phillips, a father of five, founded the Was and Now Foundation, an organization now led by his wife that provides beds for children in underprivileged communities.
“This was a senseless murder, and didn’t need to happen,” detective David Grandy said, adding that Phillips “was a great man, he was a family man, a businessman, and we do want to bring justice for him and his family.”
Brian Maloof, the owner of Manuel’s, previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the fatal shooting was witnessed by as many as 15 people sitting outside the pub. Two bartenders and a server attempted to render aid to Phillips, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
With no suspects identified in either case, officials said Tuesday’s canvass through the neighborhoods was an effort to re-engage community members in the investigative process and gather any information that could aid in solving the homicides.
“We’re asking for the community’s assistance. We need your help with good investigative work along with community support,” Grandy said.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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