Police: Recent string of Atlanta carjackings and shooting, likely not related
ATLANTA - Investigators now believe three recent carjackings and a shooting near the Atlanta University Center complex are not related, Atlanta Police said Thursday.
At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Atlanta Police said they believed the three carjackings could be connected.
RELATED: Second Morehouse College student carjacked in less than a week
But in a statement to FOX 5 Thursday, Atlanta Police Public Affairs Director Carlos Campos wrote, “Further investigation has determined that we can confidently say today we do not believe any of these four incidents are related, or being committed by the same individuals.
Campos said, “We have developed promising leads in at least one of the cases, and anticipate making an arrest soon. Investigators continue to diligently pursue leads in the remaining cases.”
Two of the three carjackings involved Morehouse College students, and the shooting is a Clark Atlanta University.
According to Campos, the shooting of the Clark Atlanta student on Lucile Avenue was not a random incident.
Campos said, “We believe she was specifically targeted by the shooter, though we are not prepared at this time to disclose the motive.”
MORE: Police: Clark Atlanta student shot in back while driving
As Atlanta Police indicated Wednesday, Campos reaffirmed the department’s plan to devote additional resources to the area to hopefully solve the crimes.
In the latest crime early Wednesday, the driver of a ride-sharing vehicle said four men threatened him with a crowbar, put a gun in his face and stole his vehicle on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard.
MORE: Lyft driver carjacked in northwest Atlanta
Early Tuesday, Morehouse student Deaven Rector said he was studying for midterms at the college library when he was carjacked outside of his apartment off Founders Drive.
On September 27th, Morehouse student Justin Clark was carjacked outside of his apartment just hours before he was set to drive home for a funeral.
On September 25th, Clark Atlanta student Daeja Craddick was shot in the back as she drove on Lucile Avenue.
MORE: Donor helps Morehouse student get home after carjacking