A robbery ended in gunfire Wednesday night at a northwest Atlanta apartment complex, killing a 17-year-old boy and sending two others to a hospital, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Atlanta police believe drugs were involved in the triple shooting at The Commons apartments on Middleton Road, a homicide commander told the news station. It was the second fatal shooting this month at the complex formerly known as Allen Hills Apartments.
Police were called about 10 p.m. and found the teenager dead at the scene, according to Channel 2. He was identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as Havord Head. The other two gunshot victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, and their conditions were unknown Thursday.
“This was a robbery with a narcotics element,” Lt. Ralph Woolfolk told the news station from the scene.
Woolfolk did not say if investigators were looking for any suspects, but he said the public was not believed to be in danger.
Earlier this month, a 31-year-old man was shot and killed at the same complex. He was identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as Timmie Thomas of Atlanta. No further details have been released in his death.
Police investigated another shooting at the Middleton Road complex Dec. 13 that injured a mail carrier and another bystander. The postal worker and the other man were standing in the same area when gunfire rang out about 5:45 p.m., authorities said.
Jaquan Javario Fields, 19, of Atlanta, was arrested in that case, and investigators do not believe he knew either of the victims.
Atlanta City Councilmember Andrea L. Boone, whose district includes the apartment complex, said she has met with the complex’s owners over the years and asked them to add uniformed security officers. After the latest shooting, Boone said she is again imploring owners to bolster security and to regulate and investigate the activities of their tenants.
“I am outraged at the lack of investment in security for a privately-owned complex,” Boone said Thursday in a statement to her constituents. “Earlier this year, following another shooting at the same complex, I provided support for our beloved mail carrier who was injured there. I also plan to visit the family of the 17-year-old victim from Wednesday’s shooting.”
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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