Two people were shot at an Old Fourth Ward recreation center that was serving as a city warming shelter Thursday morning, Atlanta police confirmed.
An off-duty officer was working at the site and returned fire, officials said. But it’s not clear if that gunfire struck anyone.
The suspected shooter was taken into custody. The man did not sustain a gunshot wound but was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with “perhaps a broken arm,” police Maj. Peter Malecki told reporters at the scene.
The two victims were also taken to Grady and are expected to survive, he said.
Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to Malecki, the man was inside the Central Park Recreation Center around 10 a.m. and “became somewhat irate, began threatening other patrons of the warming center, as well as an employee.”
That’s when the officer opened fire.
Police said they’ve asked the GBI to investigate the shooting.
The recreation center is located at 400 Merritts Ave. within Central Park. The city uses the facility as a warming center during extreme cold spells. The center was open Wednesday night, and guests were expected to leave by 11 a.m. Thursday.
The center is one of several city-run warming stations that open when forecasts call for frigid weather.
Temperatures in the city overnight plunged below freezing. The centers, including the one at Central Park Recreation Center, are scheduled to reopen Thursday and Friday nights.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s request for information.
— This is a developing story. The AJC is at the scene working to learn more.
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