Authorities have identified the suspected gunman in Tuesday’s shooting at a downtown Atlanta food court as Jeremy Malone, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Malone, 34, is accused of wounding three people during a shooting at the Peachtree Center, a popular downtown Atlanta food court.
The Morrow, Georgia, resident is a convicted felon who has served prison time for an armed robbery and has “11 previous arrest cycles,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said.
“This is an individual that should never have been possessing a gun and an individual that should never have placed this community in harm,” Schierbaum said.
Malone was shot by an Atlanta Police officer at the food court before he was taken into custody. He was transferred to a local hospital but has since been discharged.
He is currently in the Fulton County Jail facing several charges including aggravated assault, reckless conduct, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies.
The victims, all three of whom are being treated at area hospitals, include a 47-year-old man, a 69-year-old woman and a 70-year-old woman. They are all expected to survive, authorities said.
Shortly before 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Malone entered the food court armed with a handgun and had a “brief altercation” with a person before shooting that individual, the police chief said in a news conference, later clarifying the shooter “physically attacked” the person before shooting them.
The suspect then went on to shoot two other people who were in the food court, Schierbaum said.
It’s unclear how Malone may have been connected to the individual he first attacked.
Peachtree Center, at the heart of the city’s downtown, boasts more than 1.5 million square feet of office space across four buildings, as well as 50 restaurants and retail shops and three hotels, according to its website.
The building was placed on lockdown after the shooting but had reopened by late Tuesday afternoon, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. He had earlier warned residents to “avoid the area.”
Just over two hours after the shooting unfolded, another man in Atlanta held the driver of a commuter bus at gunpoint, leading police on a rush-hour chase while more than a dozen passengers remained in the vehicle, police said.
The suspect in that case was taken into custody, and one person who was found shot on the bus has died, police said.
Authorities said they don’t believe the two incidents are connected.
Malone waived his initial court appearance, Natalie Ammons, Fulton County Sheriff spokesperson, told CNN. It’s unclear if he has legal representation at this time.
CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji contributed to this report.
