ATLANTA — Atlanta Police are investigating after four people were shot at a food court in Downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, including the suspect who was shot by an off-duty APD officer.
The incident occurred at The Hub at Peachtree Center, located at 235 Peachtree Street NE. The Hub at Peachtree Center food court is a very popular lunch and coffee destination for many who work, live, and visit Downtown Atlanta. It is surrounded by numerous hotels and businesses and is often filled with people around lunchtime every day of the week.
The 34-year-old suspect allegedly physically attacked a man inside the food court before opening fire on him and two women inside. The off-duty officer sprang into action and shot the suspect before police got there and were able to take him into custody.
Police said all victims, a 47-year-old man from Grayson, Georgia, a 69-year-old woman from East Point and a 70-year-old woman from Atlanta, are alert, conscious, and breathing. For now, authorities are referring to this as an "open and active" scene. 11Alive is tracking live updates of the situation as they come in.
What we know about Downtown Atlanta shooting
4:27 p.m. | Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said an off-duty APD officer stepped into action and shot the suspect following an altercation between the suspect and someone inside the food court, which led him to shoot three people. Schierbaum said the suspect, a convicted felon with 11 prior arrest cycles, was also shot after injuring the three people. The suspect is 34 years old and has served prison time for an armed robbery, according to police.
Schierbaum said that through video footage, they saw the suspect physically attack a person before shooting them. The suspect then opened fire and shot two more people. The victims, a 47-year-old man from Grayson, Georgia, a 69-year-old woman from East Point and a 70-year-old woman from Atlanta, are all expected to survive.
The chief said the off-duty officer was at The Hub working an extra job and saw the incident unfold. As people were scrambling for safety, the officer took out his gun and shot the suspect as the suspect was still pointing his handgun at others.
"I want to commend that officer ... for his brave action, his decisive action to end an imminent threat to this community," Schierbaum said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens talked about how the situation could have been much worse if it hadn't been for the actions of the off-duty officer.
"He was there, he was on the scene, he was focused, he kept his mind about him, and he was able to bring safety to all these people that were in that food court by stopping this individual who had already shot three people. How many more people could he have shot had an extra job officer from the Atlanta Police Department not been there?" Dickens said.
4:24 p.m. | Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is speaking after four people were shot at The Hub at Peachtree Center.
4:19 p.m. | Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Mayor Andre Dickens have just arrived on the scene in the 200 block of Peachtree Street NE.
4:10 p.m. | A witness 11Alive spoke to claims he saw a shooter in an argument before they pulled out a gun and opened fire inside the food court.
3:59 p.m. | John Portman Boulevard NW has reopened at Peachtree Street amid the shooting investigation.
3:56 p.m. | Dozens of police officers are in Downtown Atlanta investigating after four people were shot in the food court of The Hub at Peachtree Center.
3:54 p.m. | The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has responded to the scene and is now investigating.
3:50 p.m. | MARTA Police said its Special Ops Response Team and Tactical Field Officers were deployed to the area.
3:44 p.m. | Liliana Silva, the sales and marketing manager at the Hard Rock Cafe, described walking past the CVS Pharmacy connected to The Hub at Peachtree Center when she heard a bunch of commotion coming from inside. She said as she walked past the doors, a bunch of people chaotically sprinted out of the building, screaming that there was a shooter inside the building. She said she and some friends ran into the Hyatt hotel in the area and were in lockdown there for about an hour.
"Then all of a sudden, an influx of people were sprinting out of there in all different directions, and we were like, "What is going on?' and somebody screamed, 'There's a shooting, there's a shooter ... run!'" Silva recalled during the heat of the moment.
2:48 p.m. | Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said that the building is currently on lockdown.
Images from the 11Alive SkyTracker over the scene and 11Alive crews on the ground showed a massive police presence, which is in the area of several hotels in Downtown and a few blocks east of Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola and AmericasMart.
11Alive crews are on the scene and are working to gather more information about what happened.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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