ATLANTA — Chaos broke out and businesses went on lockdown after four people were shot at the Hub at Peachtree Center on Tuesday afternoon.
Atlanta Police said all victims were alert, conscious, and breathing. Officers said the suspect -- now identified as a convicted felon -- is believed to be among the injured after an off-duty officer shot him, according to officials. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed they were responding to the scene and are now investigating.
Liliana Silva, the sales and marketing manager at the Hard Rock Cafe, was relieved to escape unharmed.
"I don't even know what to think. I obviously feel very relieved that it wasn't us, but my heart breaks for those who weren't able to get out of there before it happened, " said Silva.
She added that she was walking past the nearby CVS Pharmacy, which is connected to the hub when she heard the commotion coming from the inside.
She said as she walked past the doors, she saw multiple people sprinting out of the building, screaming that there was a shooter inside the building. She said she and some friends ran into the Hyatt Hotel in the area and were in a lockdown there for about an hour.
"Then all of a sudden, an influx of people were sprinting out of there in all different directions, and we were like, 'What is going on?' and somebody screamed, 'There's a shooting, there's a shooter ... run!'" Silva recalled during the heat of the moment.
11Alive's Molly Oak spoke with another witness who did not want to go on camera. He said he saw the shooter. He told her that he saw a man talking to a woman and noticed he became angry and aggressive. That's when he heard the shots and took off running.
The witness said he also saw police surround the man.
Details are limited in the shooting, but dozens of police officers are in Downtown Atlanta investigating the area.
Images from the 11Alive SkyTracker over the scene and 11Alive crews on the ground showed a massive police presence off Peachtree Street NE. The police were in the area of several downtown hotels and a few blocks east of Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coca-Cola and AmericasMart.
