Atlanta police are investigating the killing on McDaniel Street as a friend says two teenage acquaintances pulled guns and demanded valuables.
ATLANTA — A man was shot and killed inside a vehicle early Friday at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex, and a friend who says he survived the encounter described the shooting as an armed robbery carried out by two teenage acquaintances.
Atlanta police said officers were called to 369 McDaniel St. SW at about 1:37 a.m. Aug. 21 after receiving a report of a person shot. Officers were flagged down and directed to a vehicle parked in front of a building, where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Grady EMS and Atlanta Fire Rescue personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Police said homicide investigators are working to determine what led to the shooting.
Ricky Cooper, who said he was with the victim, told WSB-TV that he and his friend were leaving the apartment complex with two teenage acquaintances when the encounter turned into a robbery. Cooper said the teenagers were sitting in the back seat before pulling guns on the two men. His account has not been independently confirmed by police, who have released few details about the circumstances surrounding the homicide.
Cooper said the armed teenagers demanded jewelry, wallets and cash. He said his friend, who was driving, began moving the vehicle and tried to discourage the gunmen before a shot was fired. Cooper said the wounded driver slumped over the steering wheel and the vehicle accelerated before crashing into another vehicle.
Cooper said he got out and ran but was caught by one of the alleged robbers. He told the television station that the gunman forced him to surrender valuables, including a Rolex watch he valued at about $30,000, along with cash and other jewelry. Cooper said the assailant then left and he went to find help for his wounded friend.
The victim had not been publicly identified by Atlanta police as of the department’s initial statement. Cooper described his friend as a prominent local DJ, but police had not confirmed the man’s identity or occupation. Authorities also had not announced any arrests or publicly identified suspects in connection with the killing.
The shooting occurred at the Villages of Castleberry Hill apartment complex, where another burst of gunfire had been reported less than 24 hours earlier. Police responded to the McDaniel Street property early Thursday after shots struck a vehicle and multiple apartments. No injuries were reported in that earlier incident.
Police have not said the two shootings are connected. That distinction remains important as investigators examine Friday’s homicide and the account provided by Cooper. His assertion that the men were deliberately set up remains a witness allegation rather than an announced finding by investigators.
Atlanta police said the homicide investigation remains active and ongoing and cautioned that preliminary information could change as detectives gather evidence. No suspect information or motive had been released in the department’s initial account.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.