Police increase patrols after 2 murders in East Atlanta Village

ATLANTA — Atlanta homicide investigators are looking for any connection between two slayings that happened one week apart just blocks from each other in southeast Atlanta.
               
They also believe they may be related to a string of violent armed robberies in the same area over the last couple of weeks.

"I believe that some are connected," said Kevin Spigener, president of the East Atlanta Community Association. The group of residents and businesses owners would like to see more police patrols in the area and have already been talking to Atlanta police about the recent spike in violent crime.

"It's a little concerning, absolutely," he said.

The association will also fund a safety patrol of off-duty police officers, which usually just checks on homes, to target the areas around East Atlanta Village starting this coming Friday and Saturday nights.

Atlanta police have not released a lot of information about either death. The man killed Saturday was walking on May Avenue with two other men when a car pulled up. Police said one person jumped out, tried to rob them and ended up shooting two of the men.  One died at the hospital.

The other fatal shooting was May 18 on Metropolitan Avenue.

"We'll be looking at ballistic evidence, interviews from witnesses, canvassing neighborhood," said Atlanta Police Department Maj. Darryl Tolleson. "We'll be looking into any aspect that might be similar."

WSBTV