‘I just had to shoot somebody:’ 911 call reveals new details after man shot, killed armed robber

Michael Seiden
·2 min read

Earlier this month, a Hapeville man shot and killed a 39-year-old armed robbery suspect in self-defense after he and a second suspect cornered the victim in his apartment’s parking garage, police said. Now, Channel 2 Action News has obtained audio of the moment the man called 911.

“Hapeville 911, where’s your emergency?” the dispatcher can be heard saying.

“Hey, I just had to shoot somebody in the top floor of the parking deck,” the man can be heard responding.

Just after 9:30 a.m. on April 15, Hapeville police responded to a reported shooting at The Atlantic Aerotropolis on S. Fulton Ave. When officers arrived, they interviewed a tenant who told police that he was forced to fatally shoot a man who tried to rob him while he was walking out to his car.

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In the newly released 911 calls, the victim can be heard breathing heavily as he told the dispatcher that he was forced to fire in self-defense.

“His car was parked next to mine. He got out of the car, said, ‘Hey bro! Don’t move!’ Pointed a gun at me, I pulled my gun and I shot,” the man, who declined to speak with Channel 2′s Michael Seiden, explained.

The victim reported seeing a second suspect, identified as Alton Coleman. Witnesses reported that they saw Coleman running toward a nearby church. Body camera video released to Channel 2 Action News shows Coleman urinating on a sidewalk as police get out of their cars with their guns drawn.

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Coleman is taken into custody without incident. He’s charged with murder and aggravated assault, according to jail records. A search of court records revealed that Coleman has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 2011.

Authorities also identified the deceased suspect as 39-year-old Lando Carter.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Federal Bureau of Prisons and a spokesperson confirmed that Carter was sentenced in the Northern District of Georgia to a 166-month sentence for interference with commerce by threats or violence and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence.

Carter was released from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on May 26, 2023.

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