ATLANTA — The local restaurant community in Atlanta is mourning the death of a young woman killed in a restaurant robbery.
Police said three men walked into the Barcelona Wine Bar on Howell Mill Road right as the restaurant was closing early Sunday morning.
The men tied up employees with electrical tape and forced the manager, 29-year-old Chelsea Beller, upstairs to open up the safe.
Beller was shot during the robbery and later died at Grady Memorial Hospital.
"It just shattered my heart because she was just some of the best people on the planet," friend Tyler Walters said.
Walters took a bouquet of flowers by the restaurant Monday in memory of his longtime friend.
"She was very compassionate, very caring about all her friends, people she did know, people she didn't know, animals,everyone. She was a really wonderful person," Walters said.
Police are continuing to search for the killers.
“Investigators are diligently following up on leads on this case,” Atlanta police spokeswoman Officer Lisa Bender said. “There have been no arrests.”
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A reward of up to $7,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment.
“No crime against our citizens, anywhere in the city, is acceptable. But the robbery and murder of an innocent restaurant manager doing her job is a terrible crime that has shocked even the most jaded among us here at APD," the department said in a statement Monday. "We have made fighting violent crime our priority, and this incident underscores that our work is never done. Our investigators are working diligently to find those responsible for this crime. We will continue to focus our efforts on identifying and apprehending violent repeat offenders who prey on innocent people. These crimes are unacceptable, and we will not rest in our pursuit of shutting down these violent criminals.”
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact police through Crime Stoppers Atlanta. Their phone number is 404-577-8477 and you can remain anonymous.
The general manager of Barcelona Wine Bar told
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Aaron Diamant
that they are still working on a plan forward. He said there was an all staff meeting with grief counselors, and he's not sure yet when the restaurant will reopen.
Cox Media Group
