Quadarious McDowell, 30, fatally shot Daniel Gordon, 24, at a Tires Plus in DeKalb County, Georgia, after Gordon had taken McDowell’s car for a test drive.
According to authorities, McDowell killed the tire shop employee because he thought Gordon intended to steal his vehicle.
On New Year’s Eve, McDowell dropped his car over to check his brakes at a tire shop in Decatur, about 10 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
When he returned to the shop around 1:30 p.m., he spotted his car being driven across the parking lot. He then opened multiple fires on the employee behind the wheel.
Gordon was taken to the hospital by emergency services. However, he did not survive.
After the shooting, police reported that McDowell had attempted to escape the scene, but they were able to locate and arrest him.
“Why, you know?” Gordon’s coworker John Claude Edwards said. “He didn’t have to do that.”
According to Edwards, the suspect saw Gordon dressed in uniform. He had his bag with him, which contained the work order and everything else necessary to test drive the vehicle.
As far as Edwards was concerned, there was no logical reason for McDowell to believe that the victim was a car thief.
Another co-worker expressed concern about their safety at work. He also said that Gordon’s tragic incident isn’t “even a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He described it as “a sad day.”
According to the coworker, Gordon was eager to learn many things to advance his career to become an A-Tech.
Edwards also said Gordon usually smiled and was “just happy” when they “joke all the time in the back room.”
McDowell appeared in court for the first time on Monday afternoon but didn’t say anything. The court denied his bail. He will be detained until the case is referred to a higher court.
Meanwhile, a note on the entrance door said that the tire shop would be closed for the time being.