2 drivers shot, hurt; may be tied to killing

Victims did not know each other, police say; investigation continues.

Cops probe Atlanta shootings for links to death in DeKalb.

Two shootings that left two drivers hurt are connected and could have ties to an early morning DeKalb County homicide, Atlanta police chief Erika Shields said Thursday afternoon.

“Clearly, those responsible for these crimes have shown a complete disregard for human life,” she said in a statement.

Both drivers in the Atlanta cases were injured in the shootings, which were just miles apart, Atlanta police said.

The first occurred about 12:15 a.m. east of Hamilton E. Holmes Drive on I-20 West, Officer Donald Hannah said. A driver was shot multiple times in that incident.

“The victim stated that as he was traveling westbound on I-20, a silver SUV pulled up alongside his vehicle and an unknown suspect fired multiple rounds into his vehicle, ultimately striking him,” Hannah said.

The shooter sped away from the scene.

More than two hours later, about 4 miles away on Fulton Street, another driver lost control

of a car and crashed into multiple parked cars after being shot in the neck just before 2:40 a.m., police said.

The driver lost a lot of blood but is expected to be OK, police said.

Both were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where they were in stable condition.

“The victims don’t know each other,” Atlanta police Lt. Andrew Senzer told Channel 2 Action News.

Detectives are also investigating if the shootings are tied to a deadly road-rage shooting in DeKalb County. A man was killed on Flat Shoals Road while in the car with his two children and

wife, DeKalb police said.

“It’s very possible,” Shields said. “It’s still preliminary, so it may not prove to be true, but we absolutely are coordinating with DeKalb County to either confirm or dispel that theory.”

Shields said it’s possible the suspects in the Atlanta cases knew their victims, but she did not say what his connection to them could be.

Right now, the department is investigating “significant leads” and Shields expects an arrest “sooner than later.”

“Our entire focus is on apprehending and getting these people locked up,” she said.

JOHN SPINK PHOTOS / JSPINK@AJC.COM Atlanta officers walk in front of a car on a wrecker on Fulton Street east of McDaniel Street that was damaged early Thursday. Two drivers were injured in two random shootings just miles apart, Atlanta police said.

DeKalb County Lt. Mark Lavigne (right) and a crime scene technician examine the car of a man who was shot and killed early Thursday in a possible case of road rage in DeKalb County. Police are investigating two shootings that may be connected to...