Customer returns to Atlanta bar with gun, opens fire

One person was was injured after an angry customer returned to a popular southwest Atlanta sports bar with a gun and started shooting, police said.

The customer had been kicked out of 656 Sports Bar & Grille in the 600 block of Pryor Street for being disorderly while under the influence, according to an Atlanta police incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

He allegedly warned people against going inside the bar and made repeated threats to “wet the place.”

Authorities and witnesses said the customer did just that early Sunday.

“Bystanders advised it was a black four door sedan that drove by and started shooting,” police said in the report.

One of the bullets hit a passenger in a car stopped in front of the bar. The driver took the injured passenger to Emory Midtown Hospital for treatment of a knee wound.

“His injury was determined to be non-life threatening,” police said in the report.

The shooter was last seen heading east on Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard toward I-75 in the black sedan, police said. A description of the shooter and the car have not been released.

At 656, where a window facing Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard was damaged during the drive-by shooting, officials told Channel 2 Action News they are reviewing surveillance footage to see if cameras captured the incident.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 911. Tipsters can also 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 crimestoppersatlanta.org.

Know what’s really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC’s crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.