Security guard shot dead trying to stop men from breaking into cars, Georgia cops say
A security guard was shot and killed while confronting men caught breaking into cars at an Atlanta parking garage, police told news outlets.
The shooting occurred at about 2 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, on Spring Street in Midtown, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Officers arrived to find a 33-year-old man shot in the neck, police said in a preliminary report. He wasn’t alert or breathing and died at the scene.
Early reports said the guard confronted two people trying to break into cars at the garage before gunfire erupted, WAGA reported, citing investigators.
Police now say the man was “an innocent bystander” caught in the chaos as the thieves fled the scene. Authorities confirmed the man was a security officer, but not at the garage where he was shot.
A group of people were leaving a nearby club and caught the suspects in the act when they returned to their car, WSB-TV reported, citing police. Shots were fired, though it’s not clear who fired first.
As the suspects fled, investigators said the men started shooting randomly into the deck, hitting the security guard, according to WANF.
“We’re taken aback by the incident,” Atlanta police Lt. Germain Dearlove told WAGA. “The homicide unit and the Atlanta Police Department are taking this investigation very seriously.”
No arrests have been made as of Monday afternoon.
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Security guard shot dead trying to stop men from breaking into cars, Georgia cops say."