UPDATE: Atlanta Police have arrested a woman who is the suspect in the Midtown shootings Monday afternoon that killed two people and wounded one person. She was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport without incident, according to the APD.
At a press conference Monday evening with Mayor Andre Dickens, Interim Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said a preliminary investigation shows the woman targeted the victims. Her name has not been released by police.
“We do not believe these were random acts of violence. We do believe the individuals were likely targeted that were harmed today,” Schierbaum said. Investigation into the connection between the suspect and victims is ongoing, he said, and no further information was provided.
A handgun was recovered from the suspect at the airport.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the names of the two men killed. They were Michael Shinners, 60, who was found dead at the first shooting at the 1280 West condo building at 1280 West Peachtree St., and Wesley Freeman, 41, who injured at the second shooting at an office tower at 1100 Peachtree St. He later died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
The mayor said at the press conference that multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to apprehend the suspect at the airport. He also said “the security at the airport was never compromised” because the suspect was arrested before passing through security.
Police said they responded to a shooting at 1280 W. Peachtree St., a condominium building near Colony Square, about 1:45 p.m. where they found two victims. While at 1280 W. Peachtree St., officers received another call of a person shot at 1100 Peachtree St., a prominent office tower. They found another shooting victim there. The victims were taken to area hospitals where two died.
Police said in a news release they are investigating the connection between the two locations and to determine a motive.
The arrest of the suspect was reported shortly after 4 p.m. It followed a massive police presence in the heart of Midtown. Streets in the area were closed but are now reopened. People living in the area, businesses and schools were put on lockdown as police searched the area for the suspect.
“We are currently working an active situation in Midtown,” APD said in a release at about 2:40 p.m. and on social media. “Preliminary information indicates three people have been shot. The shooter is not in custody and we have multiple officers in the area searching for the suspect. Please advise residents to stay off of the streets in the midtown areas, specifically the areas between 12th Street and Peachtree Street NE and 15th Street and W. Peachtree Street NW.”
The Midtown Neighborhood Association and Midtown Blue released an image of the suspect and a description, APD is searching for a Black female wearing jeans and a black and white shirt with horizontal stripes.
Atlanta Police thanked the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Fulton County Marshalls Office, MARTA Police, GSU Police, Georgia Tech Police Department, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Atlanta Fire Rescue and Grady EMS.