‘Armed and dangerous’ suspect accused in triple shooting that left 1 dead is in custody, police say
By Isabel Rosales and Alta Spells, CNN
(CNN) — A suspected gunman is in custody after a triple shooting Friday morning in suburban Atlanta, leaving one person dead, according to authorities.
“All local lockdowns have been lifted at this time,” a Friday evening update from the Forest Park Police Department stated.
The man was captured after a license plate reader alerted police in nearby Powder Springs of a potentially carjacked vehicle from Forest Park as it traveled through the city, the department said in a Facebook post.
Forest Park is about 10 miles south of downtown Atlanta, and Powder Springs is about 20 miles northwest of downtown.
The suspect, who was earlier identified by police as Victor Baymon, 33, was injured following a chase with law enforcement, according to Powder Springs police.
Forest Park Police Chief Brandon Criss referred to the triple shootings, which happened in different locations, as “random,” during a Friday news conference at the scene of the first shooting, a convenience store.
“It was a random shooting. He had followed his ex-girlfriend here to the location,” Criss said. “The ex-girlfriend was getting her taxes done and the person that he shot was the person who was preparing those taxes.”
Police responded around 10:35 a.m. Friday to reports of a person armed with a rifle, according to the chief. When officers arrived, they found two people had been shot. One of the victims was found at the door and the other was inside the store, Criss said.
Baymon stole a vehicle from a man who was about to go into the convenience store, drove to an apartment complex about a block away and crashed the stolen vehicle into an apartment building, police said.
The suspect got out of the crashed vehicle and stole a gray Dodge Avenger from a woman at the apartment building, according to Criss. Baymon next drove to an area where a construction worker was working on a house, got out of the vehicle and shot him, the chief said.
It is unclear why the construction worker was shot, according to Criss, who said there was “no reason” as far as police could tell.
All city buildings and local schools were placed on lockdown Friday before the suspect’s arrest, including 11 schools and a learning center.
The three victims were taken to the hospital. A male victim, one of the two people shot at the first location, died from his injuries. The other two victims were taken into surgery.
It is unclear if Baymon has obtained an attorney at this time.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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