Officers conducting a roll call Tuesday afternoon prior to the start of their shift had to rush to a Buckhead business after gunshots rang out.
A video released by Atlanta police Friday shows an officer discovering a shattered Sephora storefront and no suspect nearby. Authorities said they heard two gunshots near Buckhead Village about 2 p.m. The shooting sent shoppers and diners in the crowded business district running and screaming.
“I have shots fired at 3167 Peachtree Road,” radio dispatch said.
Surveillance footage of the incident from across the street from Sephora reveals a man on a scooter suddenly hop off and pull out a gun. He appears to shoot at a black sedan turning left from Mathieson Drive onto Peachtree Road.
The alleged shooter, identified as 33-year-old Henok Gebremichael, missed the car but sent at least one bullet through the glass door of the business, police said. The shooting escalated from an argument, according to authorities.
Gebremichael then seems to run away alongside two other people previously seen in the video walking on the sidewalk near him. Police did not say if they knew each other.
As officers began searching, the suspect was found getting into a vehicle and fleeing the area, police said. Authorities said they conducted a traffic stop in an area along Mathieson Drive, but when the driver pulled over, Gebremichael tried to run. After a short chase, he was arrested near the driveway of a home in the area, the video shows.
Gebremichael is facing multiple charges, including 12 counts of reckless conduct and a single count of second-degree criminal damage to property. With a prior felony conviction and an “extensive criminal history,” Gebremichael was not supposed to have a gun, a police spokesperson said.
“He was a dangerous threat to the community and to the citizens of Atlanta, and thankfully, no innocent bystander or officers were injured,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Credit: Caroline Silva
Credit: Caroline Silva
Felipe Cárdenas, a Buckhead resident, was sitting outside at Dancing Goats Coffee next door to Sephora when he heard gunshots around 1:50 p.m.
“We all stopped and looked at each other, like everyone that was there. And I remember I looked at a gentleman and he looked at me and he shook his head as if he knew what it was, kind of like disappointed,” Cárdenas told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via phone a few hours after the shooting.
Then a woman’s scream filled the silence and Cárdenas watched as employees at a restaurant next door flew out the door and began running. Cárdenas described a chaotic scene where witnesses weren’t sure where to run. He said many had confused looks on their faces.
“This was the first time I’ve had to like actually actively run and I witnessed the confusion of people,” Cárdenas said. “No one knew what to do, basically.”
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