GRAYSON, Ga. — A man enjoying a night out on a Gwinnett County restaurant patio was shot in the neck early Friday by a stranger he had never met, police say.
Gwinnett County police say the shooting started as a fight inside Moonshiners bar on Moon Road in Grayson and spilled into the parking lot just after midnight on Friday.
“There’s no known association that the victim had with the suspect,” said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle. “He was just there partaking at the business.”
Investigators say friends tried to pull the shooter away and get him into a truck before the violence escalated.
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“As they were leaving, he reached out the window and fired rounds back into the business,” Winderweedle said.
One of those rounds hit the victim, breaking a bone in his neck, according to an arrest warrant.
“There was some kind of fight altercation that occurred between the suspect and what I believed to be a known party to that individual,” said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle. “There was an argument inside the bar, which then carried outside into the parking lot.”
Police identified the shooter as 34-year-old Steven Tredell Brown and arrested him in connection with the case.
“They have since executed a search warrant on the residence and located three guns that were removed from there,” Winderweedle said. One of the firearms was reported stolen out of Dunwoody, he said.
Records show Brown has been arrested multiple times since he was 17. He now faces aggravated assault, aggravated battery and a charge of carrying a gun as a convicted felon.
For community member Dexter Alleyne, the answer lies in reaching teens early, before the patterns set in.
“It just shows where our society is, that you can’t even go out and have fun,” Alleyne said. “You have to worry about whether you’re going to come back.”
In a statement, Moonshiners Grayson disputed accounts that the shooting happened at the bar:
“Last Thursday, an unfortunate incident occurred involving gunfire on Moon Road near Moonshiners Grayson. During that incident, a stray bullet struck an individual who was on our patio. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and we are hoping for a full recovery.
We want to address misinformation that has been circulating online and clarify that this incident did not originate at Moonshiners and was not a shooting at our establishment. The incident occurred on Moon Road and was unrelated to activity inside Moonshiners Grayson.
The safety of our guests and staff remains our top priority. We are continuing to cooperate with law enforcement and remain committed to providing a safe environment for everyone who visits us.
We appreciate the support from our community and ask everyone to be respectful of the facts as the situation continues to be addressed.
— Moonshiners Grayson"
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