Atlanta, GA

Gun violence in Atlanta: Chief gives report card on targeting guns, gangs, and drugs

Published

2 years ago

February 13, 2024

Gun violence in Atlanta: Chief gives report card on targeting guns, gangs, and drugs

Over 3,000 guns confiscated in Atlanta

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum is on a mission to remove guns from the hands of criminals and gang members. Over 3,000 guns were confiscated during Operation Deep Freeze in 2023.

ATLANTA – Getting guns and drugs out of the hands of criminals and gang members is a top priority for police, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told the Atlanta City Council’s Public Safety Committee.

The chief briefed the committee on Tuesday on gun confiscation for 2023.

Converted handguns found on Atlanta streets

Handguns with a “trigger” or switch were recently demonstrated for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

The mayor noted that the handgun had been restyled to be fully automatic with rapid fire.

The device is illegal and Chief Schierbaum wants to make sure suspects who use it are properly charged.

“We also worked last year to remove the triggers off the streets that make a weapon fully automatic. We know that this year the General Assembly will be considering legislation to make that a state offense because it is a federal offense only, we no longer have the ability to charge that here in Fulton County,” the chief said.

Chief Schierbaum boasts some aggressive results.

‘Ghost guns’ trouble Atlanta’s police chief most

In 2023, 3197 firearms were removed off the streets, 477 of those weapons were stolen, 143 were rifles or shotguns and 33 of those were the troubling “ghost guns.”

“Meaning they were manufactured in a manner that cannot be tracked by law enforcement. So, it is hard to trace them back to certain crimes,” Chief Schierbaum explained.

Atlanta police get ‘aggressive’ with gangs

The chief says gangs with guns continue to be a problem in Fulton County. Investigators from APD arrested 140 gang members last year on 600 separate gang charges.

“We have been aggressively fighting the gangs in Fulton County and the region because they do engage in human trafficking, drug dealing, gun running and robberies throughout the area,” Atlanta’s top cop said.

Operation Deep Freeze takes guns of Atlanta streets

The chief says Operation Deep Freeze was also effective and lead to 87 arrests, 34 of which were gang members and 67 firearms, which remain here in the custody of APD forever.

“We worked with our partners at the state and federal levels and regionally to go into certain areas where individuals were possessing guns and many times, they were in open conflict with each other,” the veteran lawman replied.

The chief says his department is not letting up and will continue to stamp out illegal weapons in our city.

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Fire’s hot shooting leads to 102-92 win over Dream with Angel Reese injured

Published

8 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

Fire’s hot shooting leads to 102-92 win over Dream with Angel Reese injured

The Portland Fire capitalized on Atlanta’s cold shooting and defensive lapses Saturday night, defeating the Dream 102-92 and handing Atlanta its sixth loss in the past seven games.

The Dream played without All-Star forward Angel Reese, who was ruled out before tipoff with a right leg injury after turning her right ankle during Thursday’s win over the Seattle Storm. Reese had been listed as questionable entering the game before Atlanta announced she would not play. Rookie center Madina Okot made the start in her place and responded with a career-high 19 points.

All five Dream starters scored in double figures. Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 20 points, Naz Hillmon added 15, and Jordin Canada recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 assists. Canada now leads all WNBA guards in double-doubles this season. Rhyne Howard finished with 10 points and four steals.

The difference came from beyond the arc.

Atlanta shot just 23% from 3-point range, while Portland consistently punished defensive breakdowns, tying its season-high with 14 three-pointers on 29 attempts.

“We got good looks,” Hillmon said. “We just have to knock them down.”

COLLEGE PARK, GEORGIA – JULY 11: Megan Gustafson #17 of the Portland Fire shoots against Madina Okot #11 of the Atlanta Dream during the first quarter against the Portland Fire at Gateway Center Arena on July 11, 2026 in College Park, Georgia.

Colin Hubbard / Getty Images

The Dream trailed 51-44 at halftime after Portland exploited defensive miscommunication on pick-and-pop actions to create open looks. Atlanta cut the deficit to 88-81 midway through the fourth quarter, but Portland answered every push with back-to-back baskets to put the game away.

“Anytime we miscommunicated, anytime we over-helped, they found their open shooters or their rollers,” Hillmon said.

Head coach Karl Smesko said the Dream generated enough quality opportunities but couldn’t overcome their shooting struggles.

“We made defensive mistakes, they made us pay for them, and we couldn’t keep up with as well as they were shooting the ball,” Smesko said. “We had three or four miscommunications on some of those pick-and-pops. We had two people go with one, and they just have too many good shooters for that.”

Atlanta’s offensive process, Smesko said, wasn’t the problem.

“We’re winning possessions by a margin that you would probably win 95% of those games, but not if your effective field goal percentage is going to be what ours is,” he said.

The Fire won with a balanced scoring attack. Megan Gustafson led the team with 17 points, Serah Williams added 15 off the bench, Emily Engstler finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, Carla Leite had 13 points and 10 assists, and Bridget Carleton scored 12 points while knocking down four 3-pointers. Teja Oblak chipped in nine points, including several key baskets in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away.

Atlanta drops to 13-10 with the loss and will look to regroup in its next game against the Los Angeles Sparks before the All-Star break.

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Man Blames Diet Drug After Gunning Down Police Officer and New Dad at Point Blank Range | Oxygen

Published

19 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Man Blames Diet Drug After Gunning Down Police Officer and New Dad at Point Blank Range | Oxygen

Fulton County Police Officer Aaron Blount—a new father, fiancé and committed community volunteer—was nearing the end of his shift when he spotted a car driving erratically and decided to intervene.

How to Watch

Don’t miss new episodes of The Real Murders of Atlanta Saturdays at 8 p.m. on Oxygen. Catch up on the Oxygen App and Peacock.

Minutes later, the 26-year-old would be dead.

His tragic fate wouldn’t be discovered until just after 10 p.m. on April 22, 2003 when fellow Fulton County Police Officer Reginald McCain stumbled on an unsettling scene while patrolling his beat in Georgia’s South Fulton County.

“I’ll never forget what I saw that night and what I discovered when I approached that car,” McCain recalled in the season four premiere of Oxygen’s The Real Murders of Atlanta. “I saw a police car with the blue lights on in the distance. This car’s off the roadway into a brushy area near some railroad tracks.”

After discovering the car belonged to Blount—his adjacet beat partner and friend—McCain walked up to the vehicle and found the windows had been shot out and discovered Blount slumped over in the vehicle with his gun still clutched in his hand. The officer had been shot multiple times in the body and head.

In the days that would follow, investigators set out to recreate Blount’s final movements, ultimately leading them to a suspect with no prior criminal record who deployed an unconventional defense.

Who Was Aaron Blount?

Blount grew up less than a mile from where he died and was committed to giving back to his community, whether it was through his work as a police officer or coaching and mentoring younger kids on the basketball court.

“Aaron definitely was a community guy,” his fiancée Nicole Manns recalled, “and that was important to him to kind of give back to where he grew up.”

Blount—a one-time student at the Naval Academy—was also eager to make a difference in the life of his own 13-month-old son, A.J., whom he shared with Manns.

As she explained, “He was an amazing father.”

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What Happened to Aaron Blount?

On the evening of April 22, Manns was waiting for Blount to get off work.

“I knew he would be coming home soon and I called him and he said, ‘I’m on my way home,’” she recalled. “And he said, ‘Hey, this guy is driving crazy in front of me, I’m going to call you back.’”

It would be the last time she ever spoke with her fiancé.

Later that night, McCain made the grisly discovery along the roadway and called for backup. Former Fulton County Police Officer Charles Cook—the squad’s medic—was one of the first to arrive.

“Aaron was covered in blood on his head,” Cook recalled. “He had what appeared to be a bullet in the back of his shoulder and shirt. This is when I noticed Aaron had his gun out [and] had his finger on the trigger.”

Though he was rushed to Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, Blount did not survive.

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“I just broke down and I started crying,” former Fulton County Police homicide detective Glenn Kalish remembered of hearing the news. “Not just for Aaron and the rest of the Fulton County Police Department, but I felt a lot of personal pressure on me being assigned this case and the weight of the case.”

Investigators Piece Together Final Moments of Aaron Blount’s Life

As detectives began to their investigation, they learned that there had been multiple 911 calls that night about a silver vehicle driving erratically not far from the murder scene.

They were also surprised to discover a handgun laying on the ground in the parking lot of a gas station, just across the road from where Blount’s vehicle had come to rest.

They came to believe that Blount had been following a car down the roadway when the driver hopped out at the gas station and waited for Blount to come around the corner, then fired directly into his vehicle, before setting the weapon down and fleeing the scene.

Injured, Blount likely took his foot off the brake, causing the patrol car to roll across Roosevelt Highway into the grassy area by the train tracks.

An eyewitness who had been driving by the gas station also came forward to share what he knew about the fatal shooting.

“We see the police got his lights on at the gas station,” the witness told police. “And as I was approaching the light, I heard a gunshot. And I saw a guy standing…at point blank range shooting through the window.”

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According to his account, the shooter then turned and calmly walked away before getting into a silver Ford Focus.

He described the shooter as a larger Black male, around 6’2” tall and around 250 pounds or more.

Though the medical examiner was able to connect the weapon found at the scene to the bullets in Blount’s patrol car and body, a second gun had been used to deliver the shots to his head, leading investigators to believe the cold-blooded killer had used two separate weapons.

Kenneth G. Reese Emerges As Suspect in Aaron Blount’s Death

Investigators caught another break in the case when they learned the weapon that had been recovered at the scene was registered to Kenneth Reese.

Though authorities initially believed the weapon was linked to a fire department captain and arson investigator with a stellar reputation—sending shockwaves through the law enforcement community—they learned after speaking with Kenneth that he had a younger nephew with the same name, who often went by the nickname “Little Kenny.”

Little Kenny had no criminal record, but did own at least one firearm. Even more telling, investigators were able to link him to a silver Ford Focus rental car. Yet, according to Little Kenny’s family, he had gone to Florida and now appeared to be on the run.

“He came from a good family,” former homicide detective Melvin Dean said. “A real solid family in the community.”

His 2nd Wife’s Murder Exposed the Truth Behind an Unsolved Double Homicide

Little Kenny’s grandmother was the first Black woman to own a gospel television network and his father was a professional wrestler turned celebrated minister. But when Little Kenny lost his father just one year before Blount’s death, those close to him say his life began to fall apart.

“His father’s death was such an impact on him,” a family spokesperson shared. “He was grieving so bad that he could not handle coming to his father’s funeral.”

According to the spokesperson, Little Kenny started carrying a gun and began showing signs of paranoia, believing that someone may be following him.

Who Killed Police Officer Aaron Blount?

Five days after Blount’s murder, Little Kenny was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals at a bus station in Miami and was charged with first-degree murder.

The district attorney announced that he was planning to seek the death penalty, but before the case could go to trial, his defense team came forward with evidence that he had been taking the diet drug ephedra—later banned by the FDA—which they argued had impaired his mental state.

After state psychiatrists also concluded that Little Kenny may have been suffering from drug-related psychosis at the time of the shooting, prosecutors decided to offer him a plea deal.

In exchange for removing the death penalty, Little Kenny agreed to plead guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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Blount’s family—including Manns and his now adult-son A.J.—continue to keep his memory alive.

“I want the people in Atlanta to remember that he protected his community. He protected his family,” Manns said. “He was just…a really good guy, a great dad, a great partner, a great friend, and I think they would be proud and should continue to be proud of him.”

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Starting Lineup: July 2026 (NASCAR O’Reilly Series) – Racing News

Published

1 day ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta Starting Lineup: July 2026 (NASCAR O’Reilly Series) – Racing News

NASCAR O’Reilly Series qualifying results from EchoPark Speedway

Later today, NASCAR O’Reilly Series drivers take the green flag. Now, teams are rolling to the track for qualifying at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.

View the Atlanta starting lineup for the NASCAR O’Reilly Series below.

Atlanta/Lime Rock Menu
ARCA: Race
Truck: Prac/Qual
O’Reilly: Qual

Atlanta/Lime Rock TV Schedule

The fields makes one lap in the opening round of qualifying. The top 10 from round one advance into round 2 and make another run for the pole position.

Atlanta Qualifying Results (Top 10 – Round 1) : 1. Carson Kvapil 31.987 2. Sam Mayer 32.035 3. Sammy Smith 32.117 4. Jesse Love 32.128 5. William Sawalich 32.171 6. Taylor Gray 32.218 7. Sheldon Creed 32.224 8. Rajah Caruth 32.238 9. Patrick Staropoli 32.224 10. Brent Crews 32.279

Sam Mayer will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 31.994 seconds in the second round of qualifying.