ATLANTA — People living in south Atlanta are concerned after three fatal shootings took place over a span of 24 hours.
A young man was shot at a birthday party on Lakewood Avenue Wednesday night. Earlier that same day, a woman was shot and killed on McWilliams Road. Thursday afternoon, the suspect in the case was involved in a police chase near University Avenue and Pryor Road.
Police said the suspect died by suicide with a gun after crashing his car as officers closed in.
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Devron Woodruff said he doesn't want the incidents to define his community.
"When I was a kid walking the neighborhood all the time by going to the corner store, going down the street, but with the reality of just how stuff is moving, like places just aren't as safe or the culture isn't the same where you can just go and do and be fine," he said.
Devron serves with the South Atlanta Civic League. He said part of the reason he does the work is to make sure the community he spent most of his life in continues to thrive.
"It's just one of those things. That's where I'm thinking like the long game."
Woodruff admitted the shootings do occasionally concern him. He's the father of two young children. He said he wants to ensure his children know the neighborhood he grew up in.
"That's always something that, you know, me and my wife continue to think about."
Overall, he sees a community ripe with development, and he wants to continue seeing it thrive.