By Jerald Jimenez
Sep 24, 2023, 10:40 AM EDT
An argument near the West End Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, ended in tragedy when a shooting occurred that left three dead, in a case that Atlanta police believe was treated as selective.
Among the victims, only Jakobi Maddox, 20, father of a one-year-old child, was identified, while the names of the other two men have not been revealed.
According to witnesses, one of the men approached the other two with his firearm and began shooting. At that moment, one of the other two men returned fire. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
The nature of the shooting generated shock among community members processing what they had witnessed, as well as loved ones of the victims.
“I got into a fight because this is not what you want to see,” Kiwii Ashmead, Jakobi Maddox’s aunt, told Fox 5. “We were supposed to go on a family vacation next week. Now, we won’t go with my nephew. Instead, we have to bury it.”
A witness, who identified herself as “TT,” told the aforementioned outlet that she has seen how dangerous the streets can be. She claimed to have seen the moments before the shooting.
“Two guys arguing about ‘who got the money’ and ‘who’s the bigger gun’ ended up shooting each other,” “TT” noted. “What is happening now is very worrying. It’s getting very rowdy here now.”
“Our city needs to coordinate… Mayors in the past who said what they were going to do and it was not done, pay attention,” “TT” said.
Gun violence is described as an everyday occurrence for West End citizens, and they said that while it appears that more and more young people are falling victim to it, they called on parents and city officials to take steps to address it.
Meanwhile, Atlanta police said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
With information from Fox 5