Frantic 911 calls capture terror of Atlanta's Sweet Auburn mass shooting

ATLANTA - Frantic 911 calls released on Tuesday reveal the chaos and terror during a mass shooting that erupted early Monday in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood, leaving one person dead and 10 others wounded.

The shooting occurred just after 1:27 a.m. near the streetcar stop in the 300 block of Edgewood Avenue. According to Atlanta police, three men and a woman approached a group and opened fire in the heart of the city’s nightlife district.

Police identified the victim killed as 27-year-old Santos J. Wyatt. An 18-year-old man remains in critical condition, and the other victims — six men and three women between the ages of 18 and 29 — were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital.

"I got two people shot on Edgewood," one caller told dispatchers. Another shouted, "My brother’s been hit, my brother’s been hit."

Edgewood Avenue mass shooting survivors 

What they're saying:

On Tuesday, advocates with the nonprofit Atlanta Victim Assistance Inc. met with nine of the survivors at the hospital to offer trauma support and emergency aid.

"It’s very important that we don’t wait too long," said Tremayne Rucker, an advocate with the group. "There have been opportunities where we’ll go into a room, and sometimes the victim is in such bad shape. But we still have to do what we have to do."

The group helps victims of violent crime pay for medical bills, housing, and other needs. Its services also support survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

"This is not a job that you're going to get paid thousands and thousands of dollars, unfortunately," said Shontel Brunson-Wright, the organization’s executive director. "But the payment looks different when they’re doing this work from their heart."

Brunson-Wright, who lost her husband to a vehicular homicide, said her team understands the importance of showing up for people at their most painful moments.

"It’s unfortunate that people have to get to know us, but when they do, they’re happy that they have, and it is actually an honor to be able to serve people when they’re hurting the most," she said.

Sweet Auburn neighborhood shooter on the run

What we know:

As of Tuesday, the suspects remain at large. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said officers recovered firearms and 34 shell casings from the scene. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage and continuing interviews with potential witnesses. Authorities say many of those shot were likely innocent bystanders.

"This department will not rest until we identify who's responsible and bring those individuals to justice," Schierbaum said.

Edgewood Avenue, a popular nightlife corridor lined with small businesses, remained heavily patrolled into the evening hours. Police responded to three other shootings nearby over the weekend, including an earlier altercation Monday night across the street from the mass shooting site that escalated into gunfire. Two additional people were injured in separate incidents nearby.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens on violent weekend

The other side:

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens addressed the violence during a news conference Monday.

"Our Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction and our Nightlife Division have both been throughout the community, providing training and resources while also keeping their ears to the ground," Dickens said. "This work is about people. It is about the lives that are lost, the families that are shattered, and the communities traumatized by violence that should have never happened in the first place."

The violent weekend left 29 people shot and two dead in 12 separate incidents across the city. Dickens and Schierbaum stressed that while no clear connection links the shootings, the availability of guns amid everyday conflict continues to fuel the violence.

"When I look at what connected them... none has connected the other, other than individuals had guns when they were angry," Schierbaum said.

Edgewood Avenue businesses on edge

Dig deeper:

Business owners in Sweet Auburn expressed concern over the shooting’s impact on the neighborhood’s hard-earned reputation. Johnny Martinez, owner of Joystick Gamebar, called the violence tragic but said it does not reflect the progress the area has made.

"Everything that happened is awful," Martinez said. "But I don't think it's a good representation of the progress and the changes this street has made over the last three years."

John McCants Jr., who has owned A&B Variety on Edgewood Avenue for nearly four decades, said the perpetrators likely came from outside the neighborhood.

"It’s not a bad area," McCants said. "But they don't be the guys over here, it be the ones coming over, looking for the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, it’s so crowded down there, you can do anything.’"

What you can do:

Police urge anyone with information or surveillance video to call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS.

To support Atlanta Victim Assistance’s work with survivors, visit the group’s website. 

Sweet AuburnNewsCrime and Public Safety