East Point shooting: Woman killed in drive-by outside Gus Thornhill funeral home

EAST POINT, Ga. - A 55-year-old woman was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday afternoon while dropping her daughter off at a local funeral home, according to the East Point Police Department.

East Point funeral home shooting

What we know:

It happened at the Gus Thornhill Funeral Home near the intersection of Gus Thornhill Jr. Drive and S. Bayard Street. 

Investigators say the victim was standing near the entrance of the building when multiple suspects in a vehicle opened fire on the property.

The woman, whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. 

A second woman sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries and was treated by medical personnel on-site.

East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan called the shooting a "senseless act of violence."

"I would like to express our deepest sympathy for the families who experienced this tragedy," Buchanan said. "It’s an outrage that cowardly individuals chose to commit such senseless acts of violence while four families attending viewings were at their most vulnerable. Our team will not rest until justice is served."

Preliminary reports indicate the victim was at the funeral home to drop off her daughter for a family member's viewing. At the time of the shooting, four different families were inside or near the facility for services.

Investigators were seen combing the area, which remained cordoned off by police tape as loved ones gathered to hug and console one another.

Witnesses describe shooting

What they're saying:

Family of the victim has identified her Ina Chambers. A friend said she was attending a wake for her daughter’s grandmother.

According to the victim's friend, a confrontation broke out in the neighborhood before a bullet struck the woman.

Ken Lott, who described himself as a friend of Chambers, expressed shock at the location of the violence.

"This is the last place you’d expect things like this, but that’s the state of the nation," Lott said. "Man, this is crazy, it’s absolutely insane. This is a lady who was supposed to be going to a wake. You know?"

He described Chambers as a "pillar of the community." Lott described her as a well-known figure with deep ties to South Atlanta High School, Fulton High School, and Walter F. Jones High School. "One of the important people that I hear, hundreds of people in our southeast Atlanta community know and love," he said.

The emotional toll on those arriving for the service was evident. Lott noted the difficulty of even reaching the location, calling the situation "incredibly bad" and "disturbing."

"The area is a stranger to this kind of stuff," Lott said. "For some reason, we're always shocked when it's only someone we know, but it's always somebody's loved one. It doesn't get my kids, man, it's just crazy. This is the way it's supposed to be going to a wake, you know?"

Officials update shooting investigation

What they're saying:

On Saturday, officials updated the media on the investigation. 

Officials said they're looking into who began shooting, but didn't mince words when discussing their thoughts about the shooting. 

"Yesterday there was four families having four wakes. During those wakes, some people sat here as cowards, waited for a particular family, and start shooting at them," Police Chief Shawn Buchanan. "Make no mistake about it, we will find you."

The Mayor called on the community to help. 

"We ask that the community: step up. If they see something, please say something so that our Police Department can bring justice to the family," said Mayor Keisha Chapman"

Suspects unknown

What we don't know:

Authorities are still working to determine who opened fire.