By By Adam Prestridge
The Atmore Police Department is still investigating the events that led up to a Tuesday night shooting in Houston Avery Park.
According to Atmore public safety director Glenn Carlee, officers responded to a shots fired call at 8:26 p.m. on June 20 at the park located off Martin Luther King Drive. Upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered blood, broken glass and two gun shell casings.
"The shooting is still under investigation," Carlee said. "We have a person of interest in the case that has been identified."
At the scene, the park's security guard and several eyewitnesses gave an account of the shooting. Each said that a Chevrolet Suburban with Baldwin County plates had been involved in the incident.
Carlee said that several shots were fired into the Suburban, which fled towards the Baldwin County line. The vehicle was later found broken down just across the line in Baldwin County, which was later towed back to Atmore for processing.
"We could not find any of the victims," Carlee said.
Tracking dogs with the Alabama Department of Corrections were called in to assist in the search for the victims of the shooting. The search proved fruitless.
Carlee said the owners of the vehicle, which indicated that they were involved in the shooting and informed investigators that no one had been shot, later contacted the APD.
"We learned that the blood was not from a gun shot wound, it was from a cut one of the victims," Carlee said. "It was from a prior injury."
All of the victims have been identified and the police department has a tentative identification on the suspect, Carlee said. No arrests have been made.
As for security at Houston Avery Park, Carlee said it has since increased.
"We have increased patrol in the park during the high-traffic nights," he said. "We set up driver's license checks out there last night (Thursday) and had a very peaceful night."
Anyone who has information regarding the shooting is encouraged to contact the Atmore Police Department at 368-9141.