Atlanta

Atlanta mayor releases statement after 24 shot, 6 killed during another violent weekend in metro Atlanta

ATLANTA — At least 24 people were shot in metro Atlanta over the weekend and six people were killed in several different incidents, police said.

All but six of those happened in the city of Atlanta. The violent weekend follows months of high crime across the city. Atlanta’s Mayor released a statement Monday afternoon about the violence.

“Atlantans deserve and expect a safe community. As our Administration continues to put considerable resources towards ending this COVID crime wave, the Anti-Violence Advisory Committee will begin work this week to make additional recommendations to help improve public safety throughout our city,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said.

Here’s a breakdown of when and where the shootings happened:

Six people were shot near a DeKalb County smoke shop early Monday morning. One of those victims died.

Atlanta police say four other people were shot and killed in four separate shootings within a 3-hour period in metro Atlanta early Monday morning.

One man was killed at the Azule Restaurant and Lounge and another at the LaCura Club. Also on Monday morning, police said a passenger was killed when someone started shooting into a car he was riding in on Georgia 400. A woman was also killed after being shot multiple times on Magnolia Street.

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Early Sunday morning, four people were shot in a parking lot near the Trap Museum. An Uber driver’s dashcam captured the shooting, showing the moment shots were fired and people dove to the ground.

“I was pulling up to the location and then I heard some pops a ways away and then some much louder ones as I got to the building,” said Uber driver Clint Rauscher. “Then I see a ton of people running towards my car, and diving under the car, and getting under the car that was in front of me.”

Channel 2 Action News is still working to get an update on the condition of those four victims who were all taken to the hospital.

“This is actually the second time in a year that I’ve been right at a location where gunfire was happening. So either I’m incredibly unlucky or this is something that’s really happening a lot,” said Rauscher.

Those incidents were among multiple shootings in metro Atlanta since Friday night.

On Saturday night, an argument spilled out of an apartment complex in the Lindbergh area and people started shooting. Three people were wounded in the parking lot of a busy Home Depot.

Two other people were also shot on Saturday, one on Griffin Street and one on River Ridge Drive during an attempted carjacking.

On Friday, two people were shot on Lang Street. A woman was taken to the hospital. A man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other men were shot at a bus stop on Fairburn Road.

One other man was shot while riding in a car on Interstate 20 early Friday morning.

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Channel 2′s Audrey Washington sat down with Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond and former DeKalb County Director of Public Safety Dr. Cedric Alexander on Sunday to discuss how the city can turn away from the violence.

“We have to send a communication to the public for those who do wrong in our city, that if you commit them in Atlanta there is going to be a quick and swift response and that we’re not going to tolerate it,” said Councilman Bond.

“Adding more police officers is not going to fix your problem if you’re going to do the same thing that you’ve done with others,” said Alexander.

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Alexander believes the solution has to start with leadership.

“We have to have the ability to bring the right people to the table and gather intelligence, information that is going to unquestionable and ongoing,” he told Washington.

Police have not made any arrests in the shooting near the Trap Museum.

This week on WSB Tonight, Channel 2 Action News is taking an in depth look at the violent crime spike in Atlanta. Tune in all week at 11 p.m. as we focus on what’s causing it and what’s being done to stop it.