Friends identify man found dead at Atlanta park as 31-year-old mechanic, new father

ATLANTA — Friends of a man found shot to death at a southeast Atlanta park have identified him to Channel 2 Action News.

They told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes that someone tried to rob Owen Jackson, 31, before shooting and killing him. Police have not confirmed that possible motive.

Police found Jackson shot to death inside his car at the bottom of a steep embankment at South Bend Park just before 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

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Lamont Adrien, Jackson’s best friend and roommate, told Fernandes that his friend was a mechanic and new father to a 3-month-old girl.

“I never would have thought that this is how things would have ended for him. It’s just terrible. I mean, it’s just not right,” he said.

Adrien says Jackson, originally from Detroit, was planning on selling his car to work on building a new life for his baby girl.

“He was like, ‘I’m gonna sell my car, bro, and pay all my bills, and then try to build from there.’ He was trying to build something. This year was supposed to be to build something,” Adrien recalled.

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People visiting the park watched behind crime tape for hours while officers gathered evidence.

Hours later, around 8:00 p.m., Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco saw one tow truck pull away a different, red car.

By 9:30 p.m., tow truck drivers gave up on trying to pull the flipped car from the ditch. Police on the scene said they would return Saturday morning when daylight made it easier to see.

Investigators have not released details about what led up to the shooting or possible suspects.

It is unclear if Jackson was shot at the park or a different location.

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Person found shot to death at Atlanta park, police say

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