FOREST PARK, Ga.,None — An Army reservist was shot to death and another was custody Thursday at a post south of Atlanta that is a gathering place for area reserve units.
Channel 2's Richard Elliot confirmed Friday afternoon that the victim was solider Pedro Mercado. Army spokesman Col. Dan Baggio said Mercado died at the U.S. Army Reserve Center located on Fort Gillem. He could not offer specifics about the shooting that happened between 4:30 and 5 p.m Thursday.
Mercado's family would not talk with Elliot on camera. Authorities said they were withholding the name of the man they have under arrest. Authorities have not determined a motive and it's unclear what the relationship was between the two men. Nobody else was injured.
"We do know that the victim, a reserve soldier, died from wounds resulting from multiple gunshots. The shooting suspect, who is in custody, is also a reserve soldier," said Col. Dan Baggio, PAO US Forces Command.
Peter Chadwick, a spokesman for Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson, said it's unclear whether anybody else was inside a building when the shooting happened or whether any civilians were involved.
Officials said the shooting suspect drove off post after the shooting and turned himself in to civilian authorities in nearby Lake City.
Fort Gillem, established in 1943, is one of three Georgia military bases slated to shut down under a sweeping round of base closures decided in 2005. Along with nearby Fort McPherson and Naval Air Station-Atlanta, the 1,427-acre Army post is scheduled to close next year.
The post includes the headquarters for the U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade and 1st U.S. Army, which does reserve and National Guard training east of the Mississippi. It also includes the U.S. Army and Air Force Exchange Distribution Region and the only Criminal Investigation Division laboratory in the world.
Chadwick said the reserve center is located on Fort Gillem, but does not share the same command.
WSBTV
