ATLANTA — A woman who said she was just feet away when a security guard was shot on Sunday at Lenox Square recounted those terrifying moments the next day.
A video one witness shared with 11Alive shows the moment two people dressed in all black started confronting the guard outside the Apple Store on Sunday night.
"I've never heard gunshots before like that,” Lia Beatty said. “I’ve heard gunshots but not in that manner. Not that close, not that scary."
At that same time, Beatty was finishing dinner at a nearby restaurant, True Food Kitchen, when she said she heard at least three gunshots.
"I just saw the server screaming ‘active shooter’ or ‘shots fired’ - something to that effect - and she said, ‘Get down, get down, take cover,’” Beatty said. “As we were getting down, I saw a shooter coming running towards us. I have four kids, I literally just saw our four kids flash before our eyes."
That's what motivated Beatty to grab her friend and run to a nearby dumpster.
She said her friend fell and now has a dislocated hip and fracture.
"I thought we were going to die because I thought we were in clear sight,” Beatty said. “If he had turned the corner, we were the only ones there, sitting ducks on the floor."
Lenox Square has since released a statement saying, in part, that it “can't find words strong enough to condemn the violent and unprovoked action against a valued member of its security team.”
As of Monday night, that guard was still in critical condition.
"Knowing that he was probably just trying to dissolve the situation and handle it as best he could with having the fear of his life of having a gun pointed at him, I just hope he's OK,” Beatty said. “I hope his family is OK."
Lenox Square also said it recently added trained K-9 patrols, a system to monitor for firearms, and has provided Atlanta Police with license plate readers.