Police are investigating separate bursts of gunfire reported on consecutive mornings at the McDaniel Street complex, including a fatal shooting Friday.
ATLANTA — A southwest Atlanta apartment complex was the scene of gunfire on consecutive mornings this week, with bullets damaging apartments and vehicles Thursday before a man was shot and killed at the same property early Friday.
The fatal shooting was reported at about 1:37 a.m. Aug. 21 at 369 McDaniel St. SW, according to Atlanta police. Officers arriving at the complex were directed to a vehicle parked in front of a building and found a man with a gunshot wound. Grady EMS and Atlanta Fire Rescue personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Homicide investigators are trying to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The killing came less than 24 hours after police investigated another shooting at the complex. Early Thursday, gunfire struck a vehicle and several apartment units at the property near McDaniel Street and Northside Drive. No injuries were reported in that incident, but the back-to-back shootings have heightened concern among people living there.
Police have not said the two incidents are connected. Investigators had not publicly announced a suspect or motive in the earlier shooting, and the department’s initial statement about Friday’s homicide did not identify a suspect or explain what investigators believe led to the killing.
A man who said he witnessed Friday’s fatal shooting offered a more detailed account to WSB-TV. Ricky Cooper said he and the victim were leaving the apartment complex in a vehicle with two teenage acquaintances when the teenagers allegedly pulled guns and demanded valuables. Cooper characterized the encounter as a setup, but police have not publicly confirmed that account.
Cooper said the victim was driving when a gunshot was fired. He said the wounded man slumped over the steering wheel, causing the vehicle to move forward and crash into another vehicle. Cooper said he fled on foot but was caught by one of the alleged robbers, who forced him to surrender valuables.
According to Cooper, the property taken from him included a Rolex watch valued at about $30,000, cash and other jewelry. Police have not publicly detailed property believed to have been stolen or said whether robbery has been established as a motive in the homicide investigation.
The victim’s identity had not been released in Atlanta police’s initial statement. Cooper described him as a prominent local DJ, but authorities had not confirmed that description. Police also had not announced arrests in the case.
Residents interviewed after the shootings described unease over gunfire at the complex on successive days. The first incident left visible damage to cars and apartment units, while the second ended with a homicide investigation and crime scene personnel working in the parking area.
Atlanta police said information about Friday’s killing remains preliminary and may change as the investigation develops. Detectives continue to investigate the homicide, while authorities have not announced whether evidence links it to the gunfire reported at the property a day earlier.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.