The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cops hunt clues in killing of student at funeral repast
Police are looking for answers in the shooting death of an Atlanta college student who was gunned down in southeast Atlanta as his family mourned the death of a loved one.
Darrien Lamont Giles, 23, was shot and killed March 7 as he sat in his car outside a family repast, police said. A repast is an informal banquet for family and friends after a loved one dies. It traditionally happens right after a funeral ceremony.
Investigators publicly released surveillance footage Friday and asked the public to help them identify a car and person of interest believed to be involved in the shooting.
“We’ve been working closely with the community in this area to try to recover surveillance video, and we do have some significant video we think we’ve obtained to give to the public in hopes that they can ID the vehicle and the person in question,” Atlanta police Homicide Commander Lt. Ralph Woolfolk said.
Giles’ family members flanked Woolfolk as he asked for the public’s help. Some of the victim’s relatives dabbed away tears as Woolfolk briefed reporters on the case and talked about Giles. The family members did not give comments or answer questions.
Someone shot Giles in the 200 block of Flat Shoals Avenue in the Reynoldstown neighborhood. Woolfolk called him an “innocent victim” and said he appeared to be the target of a robbery. He would not say if anything was stolen from the victim.
Giles was sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle when a black car pulled up next to him. Someone in the car fired several shots at Giles’ vehicle and sped away, according to investigators.
Woolfolk said others may have been in the car with the shooter
at the time.
The surveillance video police released Friday showed a black Toyota sedan with a Florida license plate. At one point, a man gets out of the car and walks to the passenger side, in view of the camera. Police said he is a person of interest in the case.
“We want you to pay close attention to his mannerisms, pay close attention to the way that he walks, pay close attention to the shoulders of this individual, which we think are peculiar,” Woolfolk said. “He has broad, wide shoulders in the way that he stands in this video.”
According to police, Giles was set to finish his degree at Savannah State University. He had a 10-month-old son.
Anyone who has information on the vehicle or the person of interest is asked to call Atlanta police’s homicide unit at 404546-4235. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.