Gaelen Newsom Atlanta man goes on violent crime spree in exclusive Buckhead neighborhood as calls to secede from Atlanta is re-ignited.
Disconcert has come to the fore after a Georgia man reportedly shot a pedestrian, fired at joggers before proceeding to run over another man during a ‘violent rampage’ in one of Atlanta’s most exclusive neighborhoods over the weekend.
Gaelen Newsom, 22, is thought to have been ‘suffering from a mental health crisis’ when he allegedly began his crime spree around 8:30 a.m. Saturday in the upscale Atlanta suburb of Buckhead, WXIA-TV reported citing police.
Andrew Worrell, a 41-year-old father of three, was the first victim.
Worrell was out for a morning walk when he was shot twice in the leg and hip from a passing car.
Police said a pair of Good Samaritans came to his aid and called his wife before he was rushed to a local hospital.
Saturday morning random shooting spree
‘It seems like some sort of miracle that it didn’t do any major damage,’ the man’s wife, Anne Worrell, told AJC. ‘We’re very grateful.’
Newsom from there went on to fire at two joggers from a similar silver sedan, seemingly picking off his victims randomly.
At 11:30 a.m., cops said a man taking out the trash outside a local apartment complex was ‘intentionally’ run over by a car fitting the wanted man’s description, police said.
That victim, who was not identified, was rushed into surgery. The man’s condition was not immediately available Monday.
Police detained the driver of the silver Kia Forte, and later identified the driver as Newsom.
Cops told of finding ‘multiple’ shell casings inside the car.
‘Based on some ballistic evidence that was recovered from the vehicle, it also appears this may in fact be our suspect from the earlier shooting incidents,’ Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Charles Hampton said during a press briefing.
Rich people fed up
Newsom was arrested and charged with one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm, Hampton said.
The weekend episode comes amid rising concern in the exclusive Buckhead neighborhood of spiking crime in Atlanta — and in their community.
Of note, ongoing crime has led to Buckhead residents lobbying to split from Atlanta.
‘Given the continued escalating violence, today I have called and made a written request to the police chief that he be present at Monday’s council meeting to share with the full council exactly what is being done to immediately reverse this trend,’ City Council President Felicia Moore said in a statement.
‘This is an all-hands-on-deck situation and I do not want to see this just become a political issue to talk about as part of the campaigns,’ Moore said.
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