Community outraged after soldier gunned down on bike path

ATLANTA — Family and friends are demanding answers in the mysterious shooting death of a local solider.

Police believe robbers targeted the solider as he walked with friends. Now signs covered with the letter "X" are covering a northeast Atlanta community in memory of 21-year-old Xavier Arnold. Neighbors say they are on a mission to ease crime in this area.

Arnold's mom told Channel 2 the young man attended SCAD savannah and was in the Army National Guard reserves where he was an engineer.

His girlfriend, who didn't want to use her name, said a strange man and a young boy started following them on the bike trail near Warren Street in the Kirkwood neighborhood.

"They pull out a gun, held it at X and other guy went behind him and started robbing him," his girlfriend said.

At first, everyone was allowing the robbery to happen until it became more violent.

"'I have nothing on me. I have nothing on me.'  They were being rude. The guy with the gun pushed me, he shot him in the head," X's girlfriend said.

In that moment, Xavier fell, his other friend was shot in the leg.

"You don't even think, you act on instinct. You start screaming. I was holding him," "X"'s girlfriend said.

Neighbors in Kirkwood said they are tired of the violence.

"Everyone wants to find out how to prevent this from happening. I was thinking of his name and I don't even know him," said Kirkwood resident Lori McDaniel.

Now X is everywhere because neighbors are putting signs all over.

Police believe the men look very young, maybe teenagers or in their early 20s.

WSBTV