EAST POINT, Ga. — East Point police are searching for the people they say shot two people outside a wake at a funeral home Friday night, killing one woman and injuring another.
Police held a news conference Saturday, saying the shooting happened during a drive-by outside Gus Thornhill’s Funeral Home, where four families were holding wakes at the same time.
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“We will bring them to justice. That’s my word,” East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan said at a news briefing.
Buchanan described the shooting as unprecedented for the city. “Since I’ve been policing, I’ve never seen such cowardly acts of violence,” he said.
Community leaders at the news conference identified the woman who died as 55-year-old Ina Chambers. Buchanan said the shooting caused further pain for grieving families.
“They’re suffering. They’re trying to bury their loved ones, and for someone to take that opportunity away from them and destroy their peace,” he told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers.
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Joshua Butler IV, a former East Point city councilman, said he spoke with Chambers’ family after the shooting.
“I had the opportunity to speak with Ina’s family who said she was just the glue that held them together, and they are just distraught and saddened that their matriarch was taken in such a senseless manner,” Butler said.
Friends and neighbors described Chambers as a well-known and beloved member of the community. “Hundreds of people in our South East Atlanta community know and love this woman,” said Ken Lott, a friend of the victim.
Police are also investigating a separate shooting that happened earlier Friday on the same block. Buchanan said both cases are being investigated simultaneously and that detectives are reviewing Ring camera footage.
“We’ve never had this type of violence in our city,” he said.
City leaders told Channel 2 Action News they are also discussing ways to prevent similar violence in the future.
“We have to start reaching out to our kids because most gun violence is happening with young men or young women, and we have to start addressing those needs now,” Butler said.
Police are asking anyone who may have video from the area to share it with investigators, noting that tips can be provided anonymously.
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