Police have not announced arrests after gunfire wounded the man on Sawtell Avenue.
ATLANTA, Ga. — A 30-year-old tattoo artist was recovering Tuesday after he said masked gunmen shot him as he rode a scooter from his southeast Atlanta driveway Monday evening.
The shooting on Sawtell Avenue left the man, known publicly as “FreeTattoos,” with wounds to his chest and hand. Atlanta police responded before 7:30 p.m. Monday and found him injured. The case remains open, and investigators have not announced arrests or a motive.
Neighbors said they saw two masked men with guns fire at the victim as he left home on a scooter to go to a store. The victim said he heard about 10 gunshots before he was hit. He was taken to a hospital and released Tuesday morning. “I’m thankful to God because this situation could have been way worse,” he said, adding that doctors told him one bullet came within two centimeters of his heart.
The victim said he did not know who would want to harm him. Police have not released the names of suspects or said whether they believe the shooting was targeted. Witness accounts described the attack as sudden, with the gunmen firing near a residential stretch of Sawtell Avenue in southeast Atlanta. No other injuries were reported in the initial account of the shooting.
A rideshare driver, Darilyn Murriell, said two masked men and a woman entered her vehicle shortly after the gunfire. Murriell said the passengers spoke about shooting a “tattoo man” who lived nearby and said they were leaving the area. Police have not said where the driver dropped them off, whether investigators have identified the woman or whether rideshare records are part of the case.
The shooting added another violent episode to a southeast Atlanta neighborhood where residents described a frightening scene outside their homes. The victim’s account, the neighbors’ statements and the rideshare driver’s report now form the public record of what is known. Investigators have not released details about the firearms used, the number of shell casings found or whether surveillance video captured the shooting.
Atlanta police said detectives are looking for information about the masked men. No charges had been announced by Tuesday evening. The next steps include identifying the suspects, confirming the route they took after the shooting and determining whether the victim was singled out or caught in another dispute.
For now, the tattoo artist is alive and out of the hospital, but the people accused of shooting him remain unidentified. The investigation was still active as of Wednesday, May 13.
Author note: Last updated May 13, 2026.