APD: Two men shot and killed in Little Five Points
Police searching for potential suspects in double murder
Two men were shot and killed in the heart of Little Five Points early this morning. Atlanta Police are now looking for more information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for their deaths.
Around 2:45 a.m. today, Atlanta Police officers found two men dead just outside Vortex Bar and Grill. APD spokesman Ralph Woolfolk says one of the restaurant employees heard gun shots fired and had "found an individual unresponsive" in the adjacent parking lot. Following APD's arrival, police officers discovered a second victim. According to APD, no witnesses saw either shooting take place.
"Both victims sustained fatal gunshot wounds," Woolfolk tells CL. "Grady EMS treated both victims and advised they showed no signs of life. The medical examiner responded to the scene and assumed custody of the bodies."
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office has identified 33-year-old Atlanta resident Joseph Hruska and 32-year-old Atlanta resident Chaitanyalila Kelsey as the two victims.
A Vortex manager this morning declined comment given that both victims did not visit the restaurant last night. Little Five Points Business Association President Kahle Davis, who also owns Star Bar, says the commercial district’s business owners are working with APD in hopes of finding the gunman.
"The community is shocked and saddened by the news that we've lost two of our friends and neighbors in a senseless act of violence," Davis tells CL. "We are working with police to find answers, and can provide no further details at this time."
APD has now responded to three killings in Zone 6, including the murder of an Alabama construction worker outside Kroger on Ponce de Leon Avenue, during the past week. That figure matches the number of people murdered in the precinct throughout all of last year.