Three Shootings In Atlanta in a Two-Hour Time Span

A day after Mayor Kasim Reed joined more than 750 mayors across the country in signing a letter that urged President Barack Obama to push for change in national gun laws, the city was beset by three separate shootings that left one victim dead.

The shootings, which occured in the span of two hours, hit the southwest, southeast and northwest quadrants of the city and is sure to fuel the local debate over gun access and firearms control with the Newtown, Conn. massacre still freshly seared in the national consciousness.

Atlanta Police Department spokesman Officer John Chafee gave the following accounts:

• On Dec. 20 at about 5:50 p.m., officers responded to a shooting call at Therrell High School, 3099 Panther Trail in southwest Atlanta. Upon arrival officers found a man suffered at least one gunshot wound. The 21-year-old man was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, but later died. Homicide investigators don't believe he was shot where he was found. They are working to determine what sparked the shooting and to identify the location of the incident. The victim is not a Therrell student.
• At about 6:45 p.m. in Custer/McDonough/Guice officers responded to 1455 Moreland Ave. SE regarding a person shot. The victingm was shot multiple times and taken to the Atlanta Medical Center in extremely critical condition. At this time the motive is not clear and investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
• Around 7:50 p.m. officers responded to a person shot call in the 600 block of Cedar Avenue NW. Upon arrival, officers located two males who had been shot and a third man who had been assaulted. They were all taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition. The preliminary investigation indicates that this was a home invasion. Investigators are gathering evidence and attempting to identify the suspects in this incident. The victims range in age from late teens to mid-thirties.

No arrests have been made any of the shootings. Anyone with information on these shootings is asked to call 911 or Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404.577.TIPS (8477).