Atlanta police have released security camera footage of a man suspected of fatally shooting a security guard at a southwest Atlanta restaurant Monday evening, as well as at least three people needed for questioning.
Anthony Frazier, 51, was shot and killed outside of American Seafood and Wings, the Cleveland Avenue restaurant where he worked as a security guard, just before 7 p.m., police said. Officers were called to the small strip mall just south of the I-75/85 split and discovered Frazier dead at the scene.
The suspect has not been identified and police are asking for help from the public as they work to locate him and the witnesses needed for questioning.
According to officers at the scene, the shooting was targeted, Channel 2 Action News reported. Witnesses told the news station the guard was shot in the back of the head.
The chilling video footage captures the moments just before and after Frazier was shot, police said. In the video, Frazier can be seen getting out of his black GMC SUV in the parking lot as the suspect walks into the frame from around the corner of the building. A third man is sitting on the curb, and the suspect walks right in front of him.
Frazier, moving unhurriedly and appearing not to notice the suspect approaching him from behind, puts something back in his car and closes the door. At the same moment, the suspect can be seen pulling a gun.
In the video released to the public, police did not include footage of the shooting itself and censored Frazier’s body from view. The suspect, who is wearing jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt and a military-style backpack, can be seen grabbing a few items from Frazier’s body and casually walking away toward the back corner of the parking lot.
The third man at the scene remains seated on the curb the whole time, watching the incident unfold, the footage shows. As the suspect walks past the seated man, the man gestures at the suspect, but the suspect never acknowledges him. Once the suspect is gone, the third man can be seen walking unsteadily in the opposite direction, shaking his head as he passes Frazier’s body.
Later, the footage shows two men and a woman walking around the corner of the building and stumbling upon Frazier’s body. One of the men appears to take something from the body and leave in the same direction as the suspect, and the footage ends before the other two people leave the frame.
The man who witnessed the killing and the three people who stumbled on Frazier lying dead in the parking lot are needed for questioning, police said.
Customers of American Seafood and Wings were surprised to hear about the cold-blooded killing.
“For the most part, they’re very wholesome people, the owners themselves,” Kam Kae told Channel 2 from the scene. “Usually, they’re always on point, very attentive with orders. I know that they hire security just for their safety as well as the consumers’ safety. He was a good guy.”
Atlanta City Councilmember Antonio Lewis, who stopped by the scene Monday, told Channel 2 he would often see the victim while eating at the restaurant. He suggested gun lockboxes as one way to curb violent crime in his district.
“We have to find a way to balance it out,” Lewis said. “You can’t talk about crime and talk about dangers and violent crime, while making it easier access to get these guns.”
Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect in this case is asked to contact 911 or Crime Stoppers Atlanta. Information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-8477 or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com. Callers do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000 for the arrest and indictment of the suspect.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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