ATLANTA — A man was shot and killed overnight outside a historic tavern; police said they believed he was stopping someone else from breaking into a car in the Poncey-Highland area.
Atlanta Police explained this all happened around 11 p.m. Thursday, but they're still working on piecing together specifics about what happened. Police said they thought the victim was trying to stop a car break-in happening in the parking lot when he was shot.
Right now, officers don't have an exact description of who they're looking for and are still trying to figure out how many suspects were involved in the first place. The department does believe the suspect(s) were trying to break into several vehicles and have been processing fingerprints off several cars in the area.
Brian Maloof, the tavern's owner, posted a statement on the incident Friday, describing a man looking in car windows and pulling on random door handles. Maloof added that one of the customer's noticed this walking to his vehicle and alerted others to call the police before he confronted the suspect.
From there, Maloof said a "scuffle ensued," and the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the customer. The owner went on to say that other customers and employees witnessed the shooting. He also said the suspect jumped into a car with another and drove off.
Maloof explained that two employees - including a military vet trained to treat gunshot wounds - began performing first aid but could not stop the bleeding. He adds that the customer died shortly after emergency services arrived.
"This is a tragic loss of life that, unfortunately, has become all too common all over the country. Manuel’s Tavern and the Maloof family express our great sadness to the family of the individual that died," Maloof's statement concludes.
Manuel's Tavern is a well-known, historic restaurant in the city. During the pandemic, it was on the brink of closing, but the community instead stepped up and raised thousands to keep this place open.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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