Robber fired until gun jammed inside crowded restaurant, police say

ATLANTA — Police are still on the hunt for the gunman who opened fire inside a crowded Atlanta restaurant nearly 24 hours later.

The victim, Bruno Bafico, was shot twice Monday night at JCT Kitchen on Howell Mill Road.

Police said a gunman approached Bafico and his wife in the parking lot and demanded his watch. Bafico and the gunman then briefly struggled, police said, before the suspect shot the 25-year-old.

“At some point the suspect fired several shots and at some point struck the victim in the thigh and the leg,” said Capt. JD Patterson.

Bafico then ran into the restaurant where police said the gunman continued firing – all while dozens of people scrambled for cover.

“Then I heard another pop, then a third pop, very loud screaming,” said witness David Collins. “I jumped up ran into the kitchen, people started following me, there were 15 to 20 of us back there in the kitchen."

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Police said the wounded victim, took cover behind a bar and the gunman attempted to shoot him again, but his gun jammed and the gunman ran out.

"It was chaos in there. Tables turned over, glass everywhere," Collins said.

Rudolfo Martinez told Channel 2 Action News he and a friend ran out of a nearby ice cream shop when they heard the gunfire.

“That's pretty frightening, you don't think you're going to be in a situation where there is going to be gun shots near you,” Martinez said.

The gunman and accomplice escaped in a black SUV. Investigators are continuing to study surveillance video and interview witnesses.

Channel 2's Tom Regan spoke with Bafico's aunt Tuesday, who said her nephew was hit in the leg and stomach, but was able to talk with her and seems to be doing better.

Cox Media Group