A friend said two teenage acquaintances carried out a robbery that ended in gunfire and the theft of a Rolex watch.
ATLANTA , GA— A 33-year-old man was fatally shot inside a vehicle early Friday at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex, and police are investigating the killing as a suspected robbery involving people who apparently knew one another.
Atlanta police said officers responded to 369 McDaniel St. SW at about 1:37 a.m. Aug. 21 after receiving a report of a person shot. Officers were flagged down and directed to a vehicle near one of the buildings at the Villages at Castleberry Hill complex. A man suffering from a gunshot wound was found inside. Grady EMS and Atlanta Fire Rescue personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Police had not publicly released his name as of Sunday.
A friend who said he was inside the vehicle gave a more detailed account to WSB-TV. Ricky Cooper described the victim as a prominent local DJ, although police and the television station had not independently confirmed that description. Cooper said he and his friend were leaving the apartment complex with two teenage acquaintances when the teenagers, who were seated in the back of the vehicle, pulled guns and demanded valuables. Cooper characterized the encounter as a set-up.
Cooper said the robbery unfolded as the group was preparing to leave. According to his account, the armed teenagers demanded jewelry, wallets and cash. He said his friend, who was driving, attempted to move the vehicle and tried to calm the gunmen before a shot was fired. Cooper said the wounded driver slumped over the steering wheel and the vehicle accelerated before crashing into another vehicle. Police have not released a detailed public account confirming each part of Cooper’s description.
Cooper told WSB-TV that he got out of the vehicle and ran after the shooting but was chased by one of the assailants. He said the gunman caught him, threatened him and took cash, jewelry and a Rolex watch that Cooper valued at about $30,000. The reported value of the watch came from Cooper and has not been independently confirmed. He then sought help for his wounded friend.
Police told local news organizations that investigators believe the killing may have resulted from an attempted robbery and that the people involved appeared to know one another. Authorities said investigators were looking at the possibility of two suspects. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex and nearby properties was being reviewed as detectives worked to reconstruct what happened. Police had announced no arrests in the homicide by the latest available reports.
The fatal shooting came about 24 hours after another burst of gunfire at the same McDaniel Street complex. Atlanta police said officers were called there at about 1:35 a.m. Thursday after shots were fired. Residents and vehicle owners reported that several apartments and parked vehicles had been hit. Officers conducted safety sweeps, found no injured people and collected shell casings as evidence. Four unattended vehicles were among the property damaged, according to police.
Investigators have not established that the two shootings are connected. Police said detectives were comparing information from both cases while examining video and other evidence. Residents told local news outlets the violence on consecutive mornings had left them concerned about safety at the complex. No injuries were reported in Thursday’s shooting, while Friday’s incident became a homicide investigation.
The Atlanta Police Department said its account of Friday’s shooting remains preliminary and could change as investigators develop additional information. Authorities have not publicly identified the two possible suspects, disclosed any criminal charges or announced a motive beyond the suspected robbery. The victim’s identity and his reported connection to Atlanta’s DJ community also had not been officially confirmed as of Sunday.
Homicide investigators continue to work the case, including reviewing surveillance footage and determining whether the previous day’s gunfire has any connection to the deadly shooting. No arrests had been announced in connection with the killing in the latest information available.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.