Shooting Near Atlanta Beltline Claims Life

Atlanta police said a man was killed Monday afternoon near the Atlanta Beltline’s Westside Trail, adding another homicide investigation near one of the city’s most-used public corridors. Officers responded at about 4:57 p.m. on June 1 to a report of a person shot near 76 Stafford St. SW and found an adult male with an apparent gunshot wound, according to the Atlanta Police Department. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. One person was later detained in a traffic stop, and investigators said the case remains active. ### Where did the shooting happen? The address Atlanta police gave — 76 Stafford St. SW — sits near the Beltline’s Westside Trail, a stretch of the urban trail network that runs through southwest and west Atlanta. 11Alive reported the shooting happened near the trail’s westside segment, and police used the Stafford Street location in their initial incident notice. (atlantapd.org) The Atlanta Police Department said Zone 1 officers were first dispatched to the area after a report of a person shot. Police did not say in their initial release whether the shooting happened on the trail itself or at a nearby home or lot off the corridor. ### What have police confirmed about the victim? Atlanta police said only that the victim was an adult male who had sustained an apparent gunshot wound. (11alive.com) Officers pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the department’s June 1 notice. 11Alive reported late Monday that police had not yet released the victim’s identity or additional details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting. (atlantapd.org) WSB-TV reported the victim was 78 years old, but Atlanta police had not published an age or name in the department’s initial public statement reviewed Tuesday. ### What do authorities say about the detention? One person was detained in connection with the shooting after a traffic stop at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive NW and Lynhurst Drive SW, 11Alive reported, citing police. Atlanta police did not identify the detained person in the department’s initial online incident summary. (11alive.com) The word police used was “detained,” not charged. Atlanta police’s public release on the homicide said only that investigators with the Homicide Unit had responded to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and that the investigation continues. ### What is still unknown in the case? The June 1 police notice did not describe a motive, the relationship between the victim and the detained person, or what led up to the shooting. (11alive.com) The department also said the information released was preliminary and could change as the investigation progresses or new information comes to light. Atlanta police have used follow-up releases in other homicide cases to identify victims, seek witnesses, publish surveillance images or announce charges. (atlantapd.org) The department’s homicide unit handles those investigations, according to its Major Crimes Section page. ### How can the public track updates? The Atlanta Police Department posts incident summaries and follow-up arrest updates on its public news page. (atlantapd.org) The department’s June 1 entry for the Stafford Street case was posted at 7:15 p.m. under the heading “Fatal Shooting: 76 Stafford ST SW.” Atlanta police said additional information would be released as it becomes available. (atlantapd.org) Records requests can also be made through the department’s Central Records and Open Records units, according to the agency’s public information pages. (11alive.com) (atlantapd.org)