Business owners near Cheshire Bridge Road say they want new police precinct after deadly shooting

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
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Business owners along Cheshire Bridge Road in Northeast Atlanta want action from the City of Atlanta, following another deadly shooting in the area.

The gunfire happened early Friday morning in the parking lot of the Old Rhodes Bakery on Cheshire Bridge Road.

Police are still investigating the shooting, while business owners working and living nearby are demanding more be done to make the area safer.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington spoke to business owners who said, unfortunately, they weren’t surprised to hear there was another deadly shooting.

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The shooting left one man dead and another injured, and the Atlanta Police Department told Channel 2 Action News they believe a drug deal led to the incident. The people who own the businesses nearby want the city to step in.

John Roland, the owner of Sam’s Hair Salon, said the shootings are common.

“Here we go again, this happens all the time,” he said when Washington asked him what he thought when he heard about the shooting.

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“Right now it appears there was a narcotics transaction that led to the shooting,” APD Homicide Commander Andrew Smith said.

Over the past few months, Cheshire Bridge Road has been the scene of several bridge fires, homeless encampments nearby and shootings.

Roland said he wants the mayor to step in.

“I wish the mayor would put a police precinct over here on Cheshire Bridge, that would help out a lot,” he said.

Another business owner said more should be done to make people feel comfortable enough to visit the businesses in the area.

“The safety, we need it,” Abu Haque, owner of Philly Cheese Steak Place, said. “We need to survive, that’s all.”

Roland said the safety issue is hurting the local businesses in the community around Cheshire Bridge Road.

“Some are afraid to come here, at certain times they won’t come here, especially at night. It’s hurt our business a lot,” Roland said.

A few of the business owners told Channel 2 Action News that at the next public safety meeting, they will present some plans and ideas to the committee, hoping to make some changes in the area.

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