2 killed, 1 hospitalized in Atlanta shootings; suspect in custody

Two people were killed and another was wounded in two shootings in the Midtown area of Atlanta on Monday, the city’s police department said. A suspect was taken into custody hours later at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after police received information she had transported herself there, Atlanta’s interim Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters.

A police spokesman said the airport’s security was “never compromised.” Police recovered the handgun believed to have been used in the shootings at the airport, Schierbaum said.

Investigators believe the victims were likely targeted, the chief said. He didn’t provide details about a possible motive.

“We do not believe these were random acts of violence,” the chief said.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 1:45 p.m. and found two people wounded, the police department tweeted. One of the victims died, police said.

While responding to that scene, officers received a call that a person had been shot nearby, the police department said. There, officers found another wounded victim, who was taken to a hospital and died, the department said.

The condition of the surviving victim wasn’t immediately known, the department said.

The department released two photos of the suspect, which show a person wheeling a suitcase through an unknown location. The suspect has not been named, though police identified the suspect as female.

The department previously said it was working an “active situation” in the city’s Midtown neighborhood, noting that “multiple officers” were in the area searching for the suspect. Police had asked residents to stay off the streets in the area, particularly between 12th Street and Peachtree Street Northeast and 15th Street and West Peachtree Street Northwest.

Alex Sundby contributed reporting.