by Daniel Johnson
March 23, 2024
At least six people are dead and five wounded after multiple shootings occurred in the Atlanta area since March 21.
At least six people are dead and five wounded after multiple shootings occurred in the Atlanta area since March 21.
As Atlanta News First reports, at least three of those incidents were officer-involved shootings, including one on March 23 where a 34-year-old man who was reportedly pointing a gun at patrons of a bar and acting “unruly” was reportedly shot by officers after he allegedly pointed a gun at responding officers.
The man was taken to a hospital where he was received in critical condition.
Another shooting happened near a hospital in Snellville around 4 A.M. Officers allege that a man who was pulled over by police pointed a gun to his own head as a response to being told that he was under arrest and to exit his vehicle.
Officers claim they tried to get the man to put the weapon down, but he fired, and officers also reportedly discharged their weapons. It is unclear at this time whether or not he was killed by his weapon or one of the officers weapons.
Another shooting occurred following a high-speed chase which began in Birmingham, Alabama. Once the suspect crossed into Georgia, according to the sheriff’s office, Haralson County deputies picked up the chase. The sheriff’s office claims that once the suspect spun out on I-20, the suspect shot at officers, who returned fire. They have not yet clarified if any officers were wounded.
These shootings are in addition to the ones reported by WSBTV, where in nine shootings since March 21, at least five people have been killed and six injured.
At around 6:30 P.M. March 21, two people were shot at an Atlanta area apartment complex. One was killed and the other was taken to a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. The police have not said what the circumstances were that led to that shooting.
In Gwinnett County, officers responded to a shooting that left one dead and another injured.
According to the 911 caller, someone inside his apartment shot him, and he shot back at them. The victim, 29-year-old Faisel Norley, died at the hospital, while the 911 caller, who has not yet been identified publicly, lived. Officers are attempting to discern who fired the first shot after they are believed to have gotten into a fight inside the apartment.
In DeKalb County, a man allegedly shot another man to death in front of a tattoo shop during the early hours of March 22. Officers were able to find 35-year-old Jonathan Thomas, who has been charged with murder and other charges.
Atlanta police responded to reports of a shooting where they found one man with a gunshot wound to his stomach. Police were allegedly able to ascertain that the victim had come across a man trying to break into his car. The man who was shot, officers believe, was shot by an occupant of the vehicle that picked up the suspect, a white SUV.
In South Fulton County, officers responded to a shooting where a man who had arrived at the mother of his child’s house to pick up his child got into a fight with a man who was visiting her. The man who had arrived to pick up his child was shot and was taken to a local hospital. Officers are still investigating.
Finally, at 4:50 am on March 22, Atlanta police responded to reports of a shooting where they found two victims with gunshot wounds. One survived and the other died in the hospital that they were both taken to.
One of Atlanta’s most prominent residents, rapper Quavo has been leading an effort to help address gun violence. Recently, as BLACK ENTERPRISE reported, his efforts culminated in the formation of a $100,000 initiative aimed at helping to curb gun violence in Atlanta.
Spurred by the death of his Migos groupmate and nephew Takeoff, who was tragically killed in 2022, Quavo has become one of the more visible advocates for gun violence.
As the rapper told the Associated Press, he sees his newfound advocacy as a “calling.”
“You don’t think nothing is going to happen,” Quavo said. “I need to step up to the plate and hit a homerun. I have to do something about it, so it won’t happen to the masses — especially in our culture. I don’t want this to happen to the next person. I want to knock down these percentages.”
Quavo continued, “We need to do better with the control of guns. We need to figure out how do we keep these types of incidents from happening to people going anywhere and thinking they can hurt somebody where it shouldn’t happen.”
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