Atlanta, GA
3 injured in overnight drive-by shooting a block from Georgia Capitol
ATLANTA – Three people were rushed to an area hospital on Saturday morning in an apparent drive-by shooting in southwest Atlanta.
It happened near the corner of Central Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, just a block away from the Georgia Capitol around 3:20 a.m. Saturday morning.
Atlanta Police say officers arrived to find a man and two women suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. All three were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Shattered glass from the blown out windows of the vehicles littered the intersection early Saturday morning as investigators worked to document the scene, collect evidence, and speak to witnesses. It was not known if the shooting was caught on camera.
Police say officers are searching for a light-colored sedan whose occupant opened fire. Witnesses were not able to get a tag, make, or model for the vehicle. It was not immediately clear how many people were inside the vehicle.
The man was driving a Jeep and the other two injured were in a Toyota at the intersection when the shots were fired.
The motive behind the shooting is still under investigation.
The names of those involved have not been released.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Atlanta Police or Crime Stoppers Atlanta.
LONG BEACH — The new-look Sparks could not overcome an 11-0 run by the Atlanta Dream to start the fourth quarter and dropped their season opener, 92-81, in front of celebrities like Kim Kardashian and team owner Magic Johnson on Wednesday night at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid.
The score was tied at 66 through three quarters, but Atlanta seized control with its pivotal 11-0 run for a 77-66 lead with 6:29 left.
The Sparks cut Atlanta’s lead to 87-81 on rookie forward Cameron Brink’s 3-pointer with 1:34 remaining, but they missed their last four shots and had a critical turnover while Atlanta went 5 for 6 from the foul line to ice the win.
“I take it as my responsibility that a lot of the starters got tired at the end of the third quarter all at one time,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “I have to substitute more players at one time at the start of the fourth quarter. That 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter, ultimately, was a hard situation to dig out of but we never quit. We really battled and showed our scrappiness that we’re going to be defined by this year. It’s a great learning lesson for our young post players in Cam and Rickea to go against one of the best ever in Tina Charles.”
The Sparks made significant changes to their roster after missing the WNBA playoffs for the third consecutive season, saying goodbye to several veterans and bringing in some fresh faces in addition to their pair of first-round draft picks. Newly acquired guard Kia Nurse scored a team-high 23 points, going 5 for 11 from 3-point range in her Sparks debut after being acquired in a trade with the Seattle Storm.
“I do think for me personally it’s been a long road and a long journey coming back from the ACL (injury) and last year mentality I just didn’t feel like myself,” Nurse said. “This is a nice place to start. I think I said to my partner before the game I was like I just want to make all my family and everyone that was around me proud and he was like you need to make yourself proud. The loss is not as exciting, but it’s a proud moment to be able to play and feel more like myself out there.”
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby had a double-double (20 points, 14 rebounds), while guard Layshia Clarendon had her first career triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Both players said they are looking to make a major impact this season.
“I just came into camp very clear-minded and had very clear intentions on what I wanted this season to look like for me personally and what I wanted to help this team do,” Hamby said.
Clarendon said she sensed she was playing a strong all-around game but was unaware of her triple-double.
“I think it’s cool. Every game stats don’t always reflect how good you play or how hard you played, so I think it’s cool to actually see that come out,” Clarendon said. “I didn’t realize I had that many rebounds, never know assists because I don’t count them. I knew I was playing well, sometimes you make the right pass and people don’t make the shot. They told me afterward and I was a little surprised but I was like ‘oh yeah, I was ballin’ so it’s pretty cool to get that, not a lot of people do it.”
Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in last month’s WNBA draft, finished with 11 points (two 3-pointers), four assists, two rebounds, two blocked shots and five personal fouls in 20 minutes.
“Cam has to find a way to stay out of foul trouble because she’s so important to what we’re doing,” Miller explained. “She helps spread the floor offensively. She’s a really good distributor of the ball as a 6-5 person, so she can create opportunities for her teammates. Defensively, she’s great rim protection but when you play three minutes in the first stretch and have to sit down, that’s a big blow.”
Sparks rookie forward Rickea Jackson – the No. 4 overall pick last month – added seven points and three rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
“(Jackson) can find her own offense, that’s what’s special about her. When plays break down and people take you out of your system, she can go make plays,” Miller said. “That’s not common with everybody in the league.”
The Sparks began the game with a 24-second shot clock violation on their first offensive possession.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie playing in your first ever WNBA game like Cam and Rickea will be or you’re a seasoned veteran, everybody is going to have nerves tonight,” Miller said before the game.
However, the Sparks recovered and began the game on a 9-2 run, with five early points from Clarendon, which forced Atlanta coach Tanisha Wright to call timeout less than three minutes into the game.
The Sparks’ starting lineup was Clarendon, Lexie Brown, Nurse, Hamby and Brink, who had three points and one assist early but only played 3:21 in the first quarter before exiting the game with her second personal foul.
“That starting unit was terrific … that group has had a chemistry, really quickly and we’re going to bring that bench along,” Miller continued. “The bench is better than they played tonight and they know it, we know it. We have confidence in them but really proud of that starting unit, they’ve all been asked to take on a more prominent role with this team and they’re embracing it and I can’t wait to keep working with that starting unit.”
Atlanta (1-0) was led by All-Star guard Rhyne Howard (25 points) and shook off its slow start behind Allisha Gray’s outside shooting (two 3-pointers in the first quarter) and tied the score at 26 heading into the second quarter.
Atlanta veteran center Tina Charles took over and scored 11 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter, as the Dream opened a 41-32 advantage. Charles finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Gray finished with 12 points.
The Sparks responded with a 14-5 run and tied the score at 46 on a pair of Nurse free throws with 36 seconds left before halftime. Jackson stole the ball at midcourt and made a buzzer-beating layup, which tied the score at 48-all at halftime.
The Sparks shot 17 for 32 from the field in the first half (53.1%), including 7 for 14 from behind the arc. Hamby had 13 points and six rebounds at halftime. The Sparks cooled off in the second half and finished the night at 39% from the field but they had 24 assists on their 28 field goals.
“A couple things bounce our way, a couple runs go our way a little bit differently early in that fourth probably, we win that game and with that energy and that effort and the chemistry we played with today, we’re going to win a lot games in this league,” Nurse said.
Atlanta point guard Haley Jones finished with 14 points and four assists in a start for Jordin Canada, who played the past two seasons with the Sparks but missed the game with a right hand injury.
The Sparks (0-1) next play at the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday at noon in a nationally televised game on ABC.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – After months of waiting and speculating, the 2024 schedule has dropped.
You can view the Falcons schedule in its entity here, but to keep things fresh, below are a few themes for you to ponder as you work through the 2024 schedule.
RETURN TO THE BENZ: The Atlanta Falcons’ home opener is always a game to mark on the calendars. But this year? It probably means just a little bit more for a number of reasons. For starters, a new-look Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to town with a bunch of new faces – and a new quarterback (or two) in tow. Speaking of quarterbacks, it’ll be the first chance for anyone to see Kirk Cousins not just in full action but in a Falcons game-day uniform. That in itself is reason enough for excitement among the fan base. However, that’s not all: The Sept. 8 matchup will also see the return of former head coach Arthur Smith to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, this time as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator. Oh, and running back Cordarrelle Patterson… and wide receiver Scotty Miller… and tight end MyCole Pruitt. Basically, there will be a lot of name recognition on the field to start the 2024 season.
IN THE PRIME TIME, PEOPLE: For the first time since 2022, the Falcons will have a prime-time game. Well, technically, they’ll have four. Yes, four. The last time the Falcons were in a prime-time slot, it was a cold, rainy and simply put dreary evening in Charlotte, North Carolina. I won’t rehash that experience here. We’re looking ahead to new horizons. So, here’s the breakdown, which includes two Monday Night Football matchups, one Thursday night bout on Amazon Prime and, for the first time in a long time, a Sunday with the lights on:
- Monday, Sept. 16: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Sunday, Sept. 22: Atlanta Falcons vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC
- Thursday, Oct. 3: Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video
- Monday, Dec. 16: Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The Falcons haven’t had a Monday Night Football game since losing to the Green Bay Packers in 2020.
Atlanta is the only winless team in prime-time games since 2021. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is 12-19 in career prime-time games.
The 2024 NFL schedule will officially be released Wednesday night, but the Atlanta Falcons’ first-three matchups appear finalized.
The Falcons are slated to begin the season at home for the fourth-consecutive season, hosting former head coach Arthur Smith and the Pittsburgh Steelers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Smith, who was fired Jan. 8 after three seasons at the helm, and a quartet of former Falcons – running back Cordarrelle Patterson, tight end MyCole Pruitt and receivers Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson – will return to Atlanta on Sept. 8.
Thereafter, the immediate road only gets tougher for the Falcons.
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Atlanta is slated to travel to Philadelphia for a primetime matchup with the Eagles on Monday Night Football, coming Sept. 16, before returning home to face Patrick Mahomes the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 22, according to WSB Ch. 2.
The contest against Kansas City is expected to be on Sunday Night Football, per 11Alive’s Maria Martin. It marks Atlanta’s first such game since 2019, while its Monday Night Football appearance will be the first since 2020. The team played no primetime games last season.
The Falcons have the easiest strength of schedule based on projected win totals, per Sharp Football Analysis, but their seeing no such glimpses of ease to kick off Raheem Morris’s first season back on the sidelines.
Morris, however, said Tuesday he isn’t particularly concerned with the schedule release.
“A little less exciting probably for coaches because we’re always one game at a time anyway,” Morris said. “But it’s always exciting just for the National Football League just in general. We found a way to make another event and I know it’s exciting for you guys and it’s exciting for us to be out and doing those things and exciting for our community, more importantly and all of our guys.”
The Falcons’ full 17-game schedule will be announced at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
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