RaceTrac has permanently closed its gas station and convenience store on Piedmont Avenue near the Georgia State University campus following another deadly shooting on Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta-based RaceTrac said the decision to close the store on 120 Piedmont Ave. was due to “significant public safety issues,” according to a press release.
“We have been closely monitoring the safety of our team members and our guests at this location, as well as its financial impact to our business, and have come to the conclusion that the right path forward is to discontinue operations,” the press release said.
“I am deeply saddened by the recent senseless acts of violence at and near this store,” RaceTrac CEO Natalie Morhous said in the statement. “As an Atlanta-based business, we did not reach this decision lightly. We know how important our stores are to the community: They are open to guests 24/7/365, they create local jobs, they generate taxes, and play a critical role in the states in which they operate. However, RaceTrac can only be successful when our stores are safe for our team members and our guests.”
Georgia State University President M. Brian Blake said in a statement posted to social media that it was in communication with the property owner about securing the location and finding a more compatible tenant.
“We will be extending our communications with the owners of the land where the RaceTrac and other businesses are located. As the store closes, it is imperative that the lot is secured, the owners take responsibility and we remain vigilant in our efforts to continue to improve the area,” Blake said in the statement. “We will be working hard to help ensure future use of that parcel is more compatible with a college campus and the experience that our students and campus community members should have.
Meanwhile, investigators with the Atlanta Police Department’s Homicide Unit are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect and a person of interest in relation to the fatal shooting on Feb. 25. Javare Shakir-Fulford, 21, was shot to death and died at the scene.
In the video below, the suspect can be seen wearing a black jacket and the person of interest can be seen wearing a red hoodie.
Investigators are asking for anyone who may be able to identify these individuals to contact the Atlanta Police Department’s Homicide Unit directly at (404) 546-4235. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at (404) 577-TIPS (8477), online at www.StopCrimeAtl.org, or by texting CSA and the tip to CRIMES (274637). Persons do not have to give their name or any identifying information to be eligible for the reward of up to $2,000.
A GSU student was shot and killed in December 2022 in the vicinity of the now-shuttered RaceTrac. Last October, four people were shot in the area, including two students and a 19-year-old woman who died. In December, a person was shot to death and another wounded after a fight led to gunfire near the RaceTrac.