Atlanta

20-year-old woman found dead in the middle of the road

ATLANTA — The search is on for the gunman who shot a woman and left her to die in the middle of the street.

It happened on Hortense Place in northwest Atlanta. Neighbors told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington they made the gruesome discovery around 7 a.m., nearly two hours after they first heard the gunshots.

It wasn't until the sun came up that people realized the tragedy that had unfolded.

"It was scary, very scary," said Nataca Whitaker, who found the woman’s body.

Police said the victim is a 20-year-old woman who was shot several times and left to die in the middle of the street.

Whitaker first heard the gunshots around 5:30 a.m., but didn't call police immediately.

"Two or three times a month you would hear random shooting, but I didn't think anything of it, and if I had called in maybe, she would still be living. I don't know. I just hate that that happened," Whitaker told Washington.

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NewsChopper 2 flew over the scene in northwest Atlanta and watched as police searched for any clues that could answer why the woman was there and who pulled the trigger.

Police have not ruled out a possible robbery attempt.

"We’re working with all theories about why this happened to her but we don't know," said Capt. Reginald Moorman, with the Atlanta Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit.

Washington spoke with the woman who was first to discover the body.

"Just went to praying for her, hoping she was still alive, but she's not," the woman said, asking not to be identified.

The woman said she could clearly see what the 20-year-old was wearing.

"It looked like she had on a black jogging suit and one blue sock and one colorful sock and her shirt was a black and white striped shirt, but I didn't see her face,” the woman said.

While police work the case, neighbors are left shocked by this senseless killing that hit so close to home.

Police still don't know if the woman was member of this community.

They're asking anyone with information about this homicide to please call APD or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.