One person killed and at least four injured in shooting in midtown Atlanta

 

One person killed and at least four injured in shooting in midtown Atlanta

 

Police are actively searching for the suspect and additional victims after incident inside building in commercial area

 

Guardian staff and agencies

Wed 3 May 2023 14.00 EDT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/03/atlanta-shooting-midtown

 

One person was fatally shot and at least four others injured on Wednesday in a shooting in a midtown Atlanta building, police said.

 

Atlanta police said there had been no additional shots fired since the initial shooting unfolded just after 12.30pm inside a building on West Peachtree Street, between 12th and 13th Streets, a commercial area with many office buildings and high-rise apartments.

 

No suspect was in custody and police said in an email just after 1pm that it was an “active, fluid situation”.

 

Police said they were actively searching for the suspect and any additional victims. The four injured people were taken to a hospital for treatment and the fifth person was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

Cities around the US have been racked by gun violence and mass shootings in 2023.

 

The Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit, defines a mass shooting as any shooting with “a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter”.

 

On Wednesday, the GVA said there had been 189 mass shootings in the US this year.

 

Atlanta police posted four photographs of the suspect, who appeared to walk into an office doorway and raise their arm. The person was wearing dark pants and a light hoodie with the hood pulled up. They had a mask on and appeared to be wearing a brown backpack across their front.

 

Authorities said the person was believed to be armed and dangerous and asked anyone with information to call 911.

 

The Atlanta mayor, Andre Dickens, said in a tweet he was in contact with police.

 

Police urged anyone in the area to secure their building and shelter in place.

 

Dozens of police and fire vehicles were gathered along West Peachtree Street, as officers with assault-style rifles, helmets and vests continued to arrive more than an hour after the shooting.

 

Many officers clustered outside the front entrance of a Northside Medical building. Multiple helicopters hovered while police tried to keep traffic moving. Construction workers watched from the nearest corner in the neighborhood where many new high-rises are being built.