A tragedy has struck Atlanta twice, with one man hospitalized after being shot multiple times over a bottle and an 18-year-old dead following an altercation over a $10 bill. Atlanta police reported a 33-year-old man was found shot at the intersection of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW and Wells Street SW, according to Atlanta News First. The victim was carrying a bottle when two suspects approached him, demanded the bottle, and then shot him multiple times. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition, with details about the contents of the bottle or why it was so coveted remaining unclear.
In a separate, heart-wrenching incident, an 18-year-old, Jalanni Pless, was shot to death while selling water in Midtown over a dispute concerning a mere $10 bill. Pless's mother, Tomeka Pless, remembered her son's unnerving final words to her: "His last words were, 'mom, I feel like something is not right, so I’m going to sell a couple of bottles of water and I’m coming home'," she recounted in an interview obtained by 11Alive. The shooting occurred on 8th Street.
Authorities have secured a warrant for a teen suspect believed to be responsible for Jalanni's death, who has not been identified due to being underage. Although the specific details regarding the motivation behind the shooting have not been released, Pless's family believes it was all sparked by an altercation over who had the right to a customer's payment—the fatal $10 bill.
Pless, who would have turned 19 in just three weeks, was working and selling water to save up for a car. "When he left me that morning, I was not expecting to be doing this," his mother expressed during the 11Alive interview, alluding to the unbearable task of mourning her only son. Pless now holds onto the torn $10 bill, a representation of the price her son paid with his life, and she has set up a GoFundMe to support the funeral expenses. "That’s my first and only son," she said, "You took my life when you took his."
