Credit: Contribution / Family photo
Credit: Contribution / Family photo
The incident was reported shortly after 11 p.m., authorities said. Maloof, who was not working at the time, said the fatal shooting was seen by as many as 15 people seated outside the pub.
He said what shocked him the most was how cheeky it was. The parking lot was “lit like a football stadium”.
Phillips first yelled at the shooter in the parking lot before asking customers to call the police and report that someone “broke into cars,” Maloof said. Phillips was shot in a scuffle, witnesses said, then the shooter jumped into a waiting car and drove off.
Two bartenders, a US Army veteran with first aid training, and a server attempted to stop the bleeding and began CPR in the parking lot. Phillips was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS, according to Atlanta police.
He and his wife would have celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary on Sunday, his friends said. The couple had just returned from a Bahamas cruise with friends.
Maloof said the bar had seen its share of car break-ins in the past, but it was not an ongoing problem. Outdoor seating had been added during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure social distancing between patrons.
The neighborhood is generally safe and a security guard was not needed before, but Maloof said there was nothing they wouldn’t consider in the future.
Friday’s lunch rush was noticeably slower than usual, likely because regulars had heard of the shooting the previous night, he said. The owner described the mood of his employees as gloomy and said he was now focusing on their safety.
“It’s like it happened to them,” he said. “My daughter works here. My wife works here. It’s very disturbing for me too. »
Investigators spoke to witnesses Thursday evening, reviewed surveillance footage from the bar and dusted surrounding cars for fingerprints. Customers described the suspects’ vehicle as a silver coupe, but Maloof was not optimistic his cameras captured the car’s tag number.
Friends of Phillips have taken to social media to post tributes and express their shock at his death. He had served with the non-profit organization called The Stewart Foundation, an Atlanta-based youth leadership program.
Phillips was also the founder of the Was and Now Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing beds for people in disadvantaged communities.
“Every child deserves a bed,” says the foundation’s website. “It’s a basic human need.”
Funeral arrangements were on hold for Phillips on Friday. No suspects have been publicly identified in the shooting, which is still under investigation.
It was the second fatal shooting in northeast Atlanta that police have investigated in the space of two hours, and the third across the city on Thursday. Police do not believe the three homicides are related.
Another man was fatally shot in a shopping mall along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard shortly after 3:30 p.m., police said. Before the end of the day, the police arrested Terrence Heard, 49, for murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Hours later, at around 9.15pm, a gunshot victim was discovered near a Wendy’s on the Boulevard in the Old Fourth Ward area. The victim was found in an alley with a bullet to the back of the neck, police told Channel 2 Action News.
The circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation and his name has not been released. No suspects have been publicly identified in this case.
The killings bring the city’s homicide tally to 135 for the year, up from 133 at this point in 2021.
Anyone with information about any of Thursday’s homicides is asked to contact Atlanta police. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000 by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637, or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.