3 killed in violent 48 hours across Atlanta, police say

What caused the recent wave of Atlanta shootings?

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum reports that city crime is trending downward even as officers investigate four shootings that left three people dead this week. 

ATLANTA - Atlanta police are investigating a violent 48-hour stretch that left three people dead and others injured across the city this week.

Dixie Hills Circle shooting investigation

What we know:

Atlanta police officers responded to an apartment complex in the 300 block of Dixie Hills Circle on Tuesday night. Upon arrival, they discovered two women and one man who had been shot. Chief Darin Schierbaum confirmed the male victim died from his injuries.

Authorities later located the shooting suspect in Coweta county. Schierbaum stated the incident was a case of domestic violence.

"He will be held accountable for the lives he took tonight and for the lives he altered," Schierbaum said.

What we don't know:

Police have not yet released the identities of the victims or the specific charges the suspect will face. It is currently unclear what the condition is of the two women who were injured in the Dixie Hills Circle shooting.

Multiple fatal scenes across Atlanta

Timeline:

The wave of violence began Monday and continued through Tuesday evening:

• Monday: Officers responded to three separate shooting calls on 18th Street, Camp Creek Parkway Southwest, and the intersection of Lee Street and Southwest Donnelly Avenue. Two of these incidents were fatal.
• Tuesday: Officers responded to the fatal domestic violence shooting on Dixie Hills Circle.

By the numbers:

• 4: Total number of shooting incidents handled by APD between Monday and Tuesday.
• 3: Number of people who lost their lives in those shootings.
• 48: The hour window in which these crimes occurred.

Addressing the root causes of violence

What they're saying:

Chief Schierbaum attributed the violence to volatile disputes involving firearms. "Individuals have been possessing guns that are angry, individuals that are possessing guns during criminal activity, this is what the outcome is and this department will find you and take you into custody and place you before a court," Schierbaum said.

Alma Davis, founder and CEO of the Alma Domestic Violence Foundation, says her organization is seeing an uptick in cases. "Now that you have those stressors that are coming on, we have war times going on, the economy, gas prices, people are becoming desperate and what happens when people lose money and jobs they don’t know how to process those stressors and they take it out on those closest to them," Davis said.

What's next:

The chief warned that the city's extensive network of "Cloud" cameras is being used to track and identify suspects. While investigations into this week's shootings continue, the department is leaning on resources like Promise Youth Centers and domestic violence organizations to help maintain the downward trend in the city's overall crime rate.