ATLANTA — In a Channel 2 Action News exclusive, a man who survived the deadly midtown shooting spree is speaking out about the moment that changed his life.
Michael Horne spoke exclusively with Channel 2′s Karyn Greer Wednesday evening on Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m. He explained how he still wonders why God put Atlanta Police and fire EMS crews with him to save his life.
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Horne is a husband, father, and grandfather who showed up for work like he always has.
The shooting happened in August of 2022 and caused part of the city to shut down for hours.
He remembers the afternoon his life would be forever changed and the gunshot that took his breath away.
“She was standing in my doorway. She didn’t say a word. She just looked straight at me. And she fired once,” said Horne. ”I remember hitting the ground. And I don’t know how I got the phone in my hand. I never carry my phone. But for some reason, it was in my hand as I laid on the floor and I was typing to my wife. I’ve been shot.”
Horne’s boss, Michael Shinners, and another man, Wesley Freeman, were killed in the shooting.
Police later arrested Raissa Kengne at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and charged her with two counts of felony murder and four counts of aggravated assault.
“I knew who the lady was that did all of this. I didn’t know her personally, I just knew who she was,” said Horne. “I just owe a great debt of gratitude to all of these gentlemen, for being there for the Atlanta Police Department for their work just to catch the person before they were able to get away.”
As he sat next to his wife, Jan, Horne said he has become a praying man.
“The doctors and I had two surgeons say, ‘you should be dead, you shouldn’t be here. The bullets were two millimeters from your heart, Nick,’” he said.
Horne has nothing but praise for the doctors and nurses at the now-defunct Atlanta Medical Center. But he said hospital administrators tried to transfer him to another facility before his care was complete.
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“I remember I was headed to Grady. I think originally, Grady was full. And so, you know, was rerouted to Atlanta Medical. I’ll never be able to just thank the gentleman. I’ll never be able to thank the doctors at Atlanta Medical,” said Horne. “I lost the spleen. The bullet entered here and went downward. It went through the spleen. It hit the pancreas. It hit the stomach, I guess went through the stomach and then went through the small intestine, and then exited my back.”
The family set up a GoFundMe to help with his ongoing medical expenses.
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