Three men were wounded in northwest Atlanta during a music video shoot when gunfire erupted near a commercial strip on Verbena Street. The incident occurred Tuesday just before 5 p.m., and according to Atlanta police, the victims, aged 24, 27, and 23, sustained injuries to the arm, back, and neck respectively; they were alert and breathing when transported to the hospital, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Major Ralph Woolfolk of the Atlanta Police Department shared that the individuals shot were not part of the video production crew, however, eyewitnesses and social media users have linked the artist Lil Baby to the event a video posted by local taco shop SlappingTacosATL_ on Instagram showed what appeared to be the artist and his entourage on Verbena Street hours before the shooting, while another post from the shop announced a premature closure due to an encounter with "little hoodlums", ruining their day as Lil Baby was set to make a significant purchase the facts of which remains unconfirmed as the situation develops.
Chasity Roman of Slapping Tacos ATL described the harrowing experience in a statement to Atlanta News First, saying, "They were shooting from behind me so I got glass all in my hair and I was on the floor for like 20 minutes. They should have had security, police should have been here," expressing her distress over the lack of safety measures. Photos from the scene indicated the presence of a music video production crew in the vicinity when the shooting took place.
Major Woolfolk added that the shooting seemed to be "an isolated and targeted incident", with the investigation ongoing and witnesses corroborating this perspective. Concerns about criminalizing the local music scene were voiced by District Three Atlanta Councilmember Byron Amos, who arrived on-site and stressed the distinction between art and violence, affirming the significance of the music industry as an artistic expression despite the darkness it sometimes portrays, according to the accounts by Atlanta News First and police reports.
Atlanta Police have yet to identify a suspect or ascertain a motive for the shootings and no arrests have been made in connection to the case; the Aggravated Assault Unit continues its investigation. Discussions on safety, whether the video shoot had the necessary permits, and the need for increased security measures in such events are now amplified amid community concerns over recurrent violent incidents.
