3 shot outside barbershop in southwest Atlanta

ATLANTA — Police are investigating a shooting at a southwest Atlanta barbershop that left one man dead and two others injured.

It happened on McDaniel Street in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood Saturday night.

Donovan Thomas, 26, was killed. Another man in his 20s and a 14-year-old boy were both shot in the leg.

Investigators say it appears to be a drive-by shooting. They don’t have a motive, but do not believe the shooting was random.

Witnesses told Channel 2 Action News they believe the shooter used a semiautomatic weapon.

Neighbor Sugar Thomas, who is not related to the victim, says she was in her home when she heard the shots. When she came outside, she saw the three young men on the ground.

“I’m praying for the people who got shot. That’s all we can do because we don’t know what happened,” said Sugar Thomas.

Police say Donovan Thomas had multiple gunshots to his upper body. He was rushed into surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Homicide detectives say they victims were outside a barbershop when the shooting happened, but police don’t believe the men were connected to the business.

Police have not released a description of the gunman or the car used in the shooting.

The area where the shooting happened has also been the scene of several other recent shootings.

Investigators say a group shot and killed Demetrius Davis, 22, in late November outside the JVC Grocery and Deli on McDaniel Street.

In early October, witnesses say someone fired a gun from a blue car outside the same corner store. The bullet hit and killed 62-year-old Obie Phillips, who lived nearby.

WSBTV