ATLANTA — Atlanta Police have responded to three homicides within a mile stretch along Cleveland Avenue since Feb. 11 this year.
The most recent killing happened on Monday afternoon in front of the Cleveland Avenue Library. The victim was identified as Doug Banks, who Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Lewis said lived nearby.
"I would see Doug walking up and down the streets with his kids all the time," Lewis said.
Fortunately, Banks didn't have his children with him when someone shot and killed him.
"This is a community issue," Lewis explained.
Five days prior to Banks being gunned down, just around the corner, 16-year-old Rodney Thomas was shot along Judy Lane.
"Rodney was laying in his grandmother's house in the bedroom," Lewis said.
He said the victim's grandmother is who found the teenager.
"As a child raised by his grandmother similar to myself, I can only imagine that. He was shot in his bed," he said.
Lewis added, "These are personal issues to me."
Violence has long been an issue on Cleveland Avenue, with many in the neighborhood -- which Councilman Lewis represents in District 12 -- personally affected. Besides the three homicides along Cleveland Avenue this year, APD has responded to eight other homicides all within five miles of Cleveland Avenue.
Lewis is offering some proposals he thinks will help alleviate the situation.
"I’ve requested my fire station be reopened, I requested our library be reopen so we can have more light on this corner," Lewis said. "Yesterday, when Doug was murdered right here this library would have had a security guard standing right there waiting on the kids coming to the library, because that was one of the tasks on the security guard."
11Alive reached out to Fulton County to find out if the county plans to reopen the Cleveland Avenue Library. As of late Tuesday night the county hadn't said one way or the other.
Atlanta Fire Rescue confirmed to 11Alive they plan to re-build and re-open Fire Station 30 at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Macon Drive. AFR said the timeline of reopening the firehouse and turning the lights back on will depend on how long it takes to get permits and for construction to be completed.
As far as AFR covering the area with the fire house closed they said, "As construction plans move forward firefighters and paramedics from Fire Station 2 and Fire Station 34 currently respond to all emergency 911 calls within Station 30's territory while it is temporarily out of service."