An overnight walk to the store in Atlanta's Mechanicsville neighborhood ended in gunfire early Thursday after a man says he refused to buy marijuana from people in a pickup truck.
According to Atlanta police, the man told officers he was on his way to a store on Windsor Street SW when a dark Dodge Ram pulled up and the occupants tried to sell him marijuana. When he declined, he said, they opened fire. He later showed up at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and met by responding officers. The case is still under investigation as detectives work to track down the truck and any witnesses.
Authorities say officers were called to Grady at 1:17 a.m., after the victim sought treatment. He reported that the shots were fired along the Windsor Street SW corridor. Investigators went back to search the block but did not find shell casings or nearby surveillance footage, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Windsor Street context
The stretch of Windsor Street SW and the nearby Dunbar Recreation Center have already been on the radar of both police and neighbors, with multiple investigations and community complaints surfacing in recent years. An APD photo release from the same block last month highlighted ongoing resident calls for increased patrols in the area.
Investigation and how to help
The Atlanta Police Department has not released the victim’s name or additional identifying information. The department is asking anyone with tips to call its non-emergency line or Crime Stoppers, according to the Atlanta Police Department. Detectives say they are canvassing the neighborhood and following up on leads as they work to confirm the man’s account of the shooting.
No arrests have been announced, and the severity of the victim’s injuries has not been made public, FOX 5 Atlanta reports. This story will be updated if police release additional details.
