A fifth person was injured in a Clayton County shooting at an apartment complex that left a 19-year-old dead late Saturday night, police confirmed Monday.
Officers responded to the Park at Leeds Apartments on Riverdale Road around 10:45 p.m., not far from College Park, following a report of a person shot, Clayton police said. Investigators initially believed that four people had been shot but later identified a fifth victim.
The man killed was identified as 19-year-old Kiyre Allen. The four others were taken to a hospital with injuries that police do not consider life-threatening, and an update on their conditions was not provided Monday.
During a news conference Monday morning, police said they believe gunfire erupted as the result of a dispute between a group of people that escalated.
“A lot of crimes that we’re having are gun-related, so we’re asking the public to make sure that they keep the guns off the street,” Capt. Chris Windley said. “We’re finding that (in) a lot of the crimes, the guns are coming from guns left in cars and cars being broken into, or cars being left unsecured, so we’re telling the public to make sure that they secure their weapons and bring them in.”
One of the surviving shooting victims, Darrell Winn, told Channel 2 Action News that he was outside celebrating his birthday and was shocked when a bullet struck him in his foot, splitting the strap on his flip-flop.
“And I was like, ‘Wow.’ You know, first time ever being shot,” Winn said. “I mean it took me a minute to actually wrap my head around it all.”
A woman, who asked not to be identified, described a chaotic scene in the moments after the shooting. She told the news station she called 911, went out on her balcony and saw the victims panicking near a car.
In a video she shared with the news station, multiple police vehicles are seen in the parking lot below amid the glow of flashing blue and red lights, and an empty gurney is set up next to a parking space. Officers can be heard telling bystanders to leave the area if they’re not involved in the crime scene.
Channel 2 footage showed multiple bullet holes in a car that had been parked nearby and another vehicle with a shattered window. According to the news station, investigators had the area blocked off for hours Saturday.
Police did not provide any information about a suspect in Monday’s briefing.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the police department at 770-477-3550. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
