A ruthless shooting rampage tragically ended one life and wounded two others in Forest Park on Friday. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, authorities have identified the slain victim as 43-year-old Brandon Harris. The mayhem ensued after the suspect, Victor Demetrious Baymon, 33, purportedly stalked his ex-girlfriend to a tax preparation storefront.
The chaos started around 10:30 a.m., escalating quickly as Baymon reportedly opened fire inside the shop, striking two individuals, including Harris, who was dutifully working on tax returns. Seeking to rapidly escape, the accused hijacker then commandeered a car from the store’s parking lot, only to crash it nearby at the Midwood Forest Apartments. Without missing a beat, he then stole another vehicle from a woman and wantonly shot a man on Jonesboro Road. As the city locked down schools and public buildings, Forest Park Police Chief Brandon Criss described the brutal scene, saying, "The ex-girlfriend was getting her taxes done and the person he shot was the person preparing those taxes," according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
The authorities threw out a wide net in pursuit of Baymon, who was deemed "armed and dangerous." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed that after several tense hours, Powder Springs Police caught up with the suspect around 5:30 p.m. following a car chase that concluded with Baymon's stolen car crashing near Richard D. Sailors Parkway and New MacLand Road, leading to his arrest.
Destined to recover despite his injuries, the suspect remains hospitalized but faces a slew of charges including malice murder, armed robbery, vehicle hijacking, aggravated assault, and illegal firearm possession. "Catching someone that's already shown that they can be violent to the point of murder, it's imperative we get them off the street," Powder Springs Police Capt. Anthony Stallings conveyed in a statement obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta. Meanwhile, the conditions of the other two victims, after being rushed into surgery, remain shrouded in uncertainty. Additional charges are pending as the community grapples with the aftermath of this unfettered violence.
