A security guard was shot and killed Wednesday morning when he was asked to escort a man from a downtown Atlanta bar, police said.
The 28-year-old guard was found with at least one gunshot wound when Atlanta police were called to the Encore Hookah Bar on Luckie Street shortly after midnight, according to the police department. The guard, identified as Tyshon Ross by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Homicide unit commander Lt. Ralph Woolfolk said Ross was asked to remove the shooter from the bar, and the two got into a fight outside. Investigators don’t know why the man was booted from the bar, Woolfolk told Channel 2 Action News from the scene.
The deadly shooting comes after a violent week in Atlanta that took police to six other bars or nightclubs to investigate gunfire. Two people were killed and eight were injured in the six shootings between Jan. 22 and Jan. 29.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
The real estate group that manages the Luckie Street property confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution it is in eviction proceedings with the hookah bar’s owner.
Habif Properties first notified the business in September that their lease would be terminated over concerns of “criminal incidents occurring outside Encore Hookah,” the Atlanta-based company said in a statement. The business agreed to vacate by Dec. 23 but was still operating, the company said. The property group has filed for eviction and is awaiting a hearing date.
“Our hearts ache for the tragic loss of life that occurred at Encore Hookah last night,” Habif Properties said in the statement. “We offer our deepest sympathy to the family of the security guard who was killed.”
The shooter in Wednesday’s incident was gone by the time police arrived, and he has not been identified. Police released photos of a suspect and are asking for the public’s help to identify him. The photos appear to be stills from surveillance footage.
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Anyone with information about his identity is asked to contact police. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, 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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