Atlanta

Police: Man who shot woman, Uber driver was out on bond for murder

ATLANTA — Police say a man who opened fired on drivers in northwest Atlanta was out of jail on bond for murder.

Tavoris Ferrell, 30, is accused of shooting a woman he knew in the face before shooting an Uber driver and injuring the passenger last Friday on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.

“It appears the suspect was in the vehicle with the female and shot her in the face and then walked down the road and was waiting at the intersection when the Uber driver pulled up and for some unknown reason, he opened fire on the vehicle,” Atlanta police Sgt. John Chafee said.

Detectives said moments before the man went on the shooting spree, he was caught on a convenience store camera entering the woman's car and leaving the plaza.

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“What’s concerning to us is he opened fire not only on the person he knew, but also on people that appeared to be innocent bystanders,” Chafee said.

Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez dug into the man's background and learned this is not the first time Ferrell has been in trouble with the law.

According to court documents, he was out on bond for a 2015 felony murder charge.

Ferrell was accused of killing a friend on July 5, 2015, while high on cocaine and racing along a highway at speeds topping 100 mph. At one point, Ferrell’s friend tried to get out of the car, but police said Ferrell hit the gas, causing the friend to fall out and die.

Records show Ferrell was arrested a month later and granted bond. He stayed in jail for a year, then posted the $80,000 bail in October 2016.

In January, he was arrested again and jailed in a theft case.

Jaquez asked the Fulton County district attorney why the suspect was allowed bond in the first place.

“I agree with the judge and my assistant who handled the matter that such bond was justified,” Paul Howard said after reviewing the transcript of the bond hearing.

Police said Ferrell is armed and dangerous and they want to catch him before he can hurt anyone else.

“This is a dangerous person. This is someone we want off the streets,” Chafee said.

Jaquez spoke with the Uber driver, who said he is out of the hospital and feeling better. She could not reach the passenger. The woman shot in the face is still recovering at the hospital.