DUNWOODY, Ga.,None — Someone killed a father of two as he was trying to borrow a car to take a relative to the airport Monday, family members said.
The shooting happened around 4 p.m. at the Point at Perimeter apartments on Ashford Gables Drive in Dunwoody. The victim was shot just steps from his relative's apartment.
A witness, who asked not to be identified, said he and his wife were returning home to the apartment complex when they heard five shots.
"We ran over here, and the guy was laying in the stairwell," he told Channel 2's Eric Philips.
The witness, a former Army medic, then sprang into action.
"I took his pulse and see how he was doing and all that, and he was kind of alert and moved his head around and stuff like that," the witness said.
But the victim, 32-year-old Ivan Perez had been shot several times, "Once in the head because there was a lot of blood coming from his head, and it looked to me like maybe two times in the back," the witness said.
Relatives said Perez was married with two kids and had recently moved to Dunwoody from New York. They said he lived at the complex where the shooting took place.
They said he was headed to cousin's apartment, also in the complex, when someone opened fire then jumped in a car a sped away. Several residents said if the apartment gates had been working, instead of sitting wide open, it may have helped.
"Maybe, when whoever did it tried to get out, it would have been harder for them to try to escape to get away because the gate's wide open," the witness said.
Police interviewed witnesses and neighbors on Tuesday and believe Perez and his killer had a conversation.
"They possibly knew each other, but it was just the exchange of words they had, it was very brief prior to the firing of shots. Right now, we're trying to find out what his connection is and what the motive was behind the shooting," Sgt. Mike Carlson said.
Witnesses said they saw the gunman leave in a silver car, driving toward Ashford-Dunwoody Road.