Security guard shot, killed outside southwest Atlanta restaurant, police say

ATLANTA — Police are investigating a deadly shooting at a southwest Atlanta restaurant Monday.

Customers and police told Channel 2 the victim was a security guard.

The shooting happened around 7 p.m. at American Wings & Seafood at 387 Cleveland Ave. SW. Officers said they found a man outside the location dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

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Police have not yet identified the victim or named any suspects.

One customer told Channel 2′s Larry Spruill that the victim was at the restaurant every time she would pick up her order.

Kam Kae said he would always say hi and make sure she got to her car safely.

“So attentive, he always watched the door. Why would somebody do that to him?” she asked.

Kae said she often eats at the restaurant and was shocked to hear the news about the shooting. Kae said the victim was a security guard at the restaurant.

“For the most part, they’re very wholesome people, the owners themselves. Usually, they’re always on point, very attentive with orders. I know that they hire security just for their safety as well as the consumers safety. He was a good guy,” Kae said.

Atlanta police officers said the shooting happened around 6:52 p.m. Monday.

They got the call of a person shot, and officers found the security guard with a gunshot wound on the ground.

Witnesses said was shot in the back of the head outside the restaurant.

“He sits in that back booth every single day. He doesn’t bother nobody,” Kae said.

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Atlanta city councilman Antonio Lewis stopped by the scene after hearing about the shooting. He said he would often see the victim while eating at the restaurant.

Spruill asked him about the violence going on in his district, and he said the first step is to get guns off the streets.

“We’re asking people to get lockboxes, the governor is making it illegal to do that. We have to find a way to balance it out. You can’t talk about crime and talk about dangers and violent crime, while making it easier access to get these guns,” Lewis said.

Meanwhile, those who knew the security guard are hoping for justice.

“I really can’t put together why they would do that to them. That doesn’t even make sense,” Kae said.

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Police told Spruill they believe the shooting was targeted.

They are still looking for the suspect, but they do have several leads.

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