A woman was arrested after three people were shot in downtown Atlanta on Monday, city police said. The Atlanta Police Department said it has arrested a suspect in the shooting at the city’s international airport after the crime scene was cleared. Media reports identified the suspect as Raïssa Kengne, an information security officer who appears to have named two of the victims in a series of social media posts and in a lawsuit alleging a conspiracy against her. Officials named the two people who died as Wesley Freeman, 41, and Michael Shinners, 60. Mr. Freeman was a longtime employee at Ms. Kengne’s former accounting firm, while Mr. Shinners is described in her lawsuit as the manager of her apartment complex. Officers are still investigating why the shooting happened, but said they believe the victims were specifically targeted. The shooting began just before 2pm in the city centre, leaving two people dead and one injured.
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ATF also named the suspect as Raissa Kengne
A source within the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (known as ATF) confirmed the identity of the suspect as Raissa Kengne, according to WSBTV Channel 2. The source said Ms. Kengne was arrested by ATF agents at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with a Glock 9 mm pistol in her purse after a taxi company told officers it had taken her there. The ATF was among several local and federal law enforcement agencies thanked by the Atlanta Police Department on Monday. Io Dodds23 August 2022 06:23 1661231722
The victim’s mother-in-law speaks
A woman has spoken out alleging the mother-in-law of shooting victim Wesley Freeman. “Please pray for my family,” Janice Gardner said on Facebook Monday. “My daughter’s husband Wes was one of the victims in the shooting today. He passed away a few hours ago. Thank you for your prayers.” Io Dodds23 August 2022 06:15 1661227571
Photo: Female suspect arrested at Atlanta airport as two dead in shooting
The Atlanta Police Department has arrested a female suspect who allegedly killed two victims and injured another in the city on Monday, officials said. The female suspect was detained by officers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and “taken into custody without incident.” Footage from the airport showed the female suspect in handcuffs at the airport. Witnesses who were present when police arrested the women said the events leading up to the arrest were low-key and did not endanger the safety of airport attendees. “SUSPECT IN CUSTODY” the department tweeted shortly after. APD says the city’s “extensive camera network” helped them locate the suspect, who has not been named, at the airport. The arrest comes after APD released surveillance video images of the woman they say shot the three people at Colony Square in Midtown on Monday. Read the full report on the Midtown shooting here:
A female suspect was arrested at the Atlanta airport in connection with two shooting deaths
APD says the city’s “extensive camera network” helped them track down the suspect Arpan Rai 23 August 2022 05:06 1661223562
Residents say the attacker was targeting building managers
According to CBS 46, the first shooting was a targeted attack on administrative staff at the apartment building where the suspect lived. Residents at the scene of the first shooting told reporter Patrick Quinn that the suspect lived in their building. They said the attacker targeted apartment management staff on the plaza level of the complex. Io Dodds23 August 2022 03:59 1661219482
The video shows police entering buildings near shots fired
Witness videos provided to Atlanta news station 11 Alive show officers responding to the shooting on Monday. The clips show officers in body armor carrying rifles entering businesses near Colony Square and a building lobby near Juniper and 14th Sts. Io Dodds23 August 2022 02:51 1661215667
The victims have been named as Wesley Freeman and Michael Shinners
According to local media, the shooting victims have been identified as Wesley Freeman, 41, and Michael Shiners, 60. CBS 46 anchor Shon Gables broke the news on Twitter, citing the Fulton County Coroner. Specifically, both Mr. Freeman and Mr. Shinners were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by Raïssa Kengne earlier this year, alleging that they were involved in a conspiracy against her. Mr. Freeman’s own LinkedIn page describes him as an information security auditor who worked for Ms. Kengne’s former employer for nearly 17 years. Mr. Shinners, meanwhile, is identified in Ms. Kengne’s lawsuit as the general manager of her apartment complex at 1280 West Peachtree St. Io Dodds23 August 2022 01:47 1661214982
“We don’t believe this was random,” police say
Atlanta police said they believe the victims were specifically targeted, but are still looking for a motive. “We don’t believe these were random acts of violence,” Interim Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Mayor Andre Dickens said the woman was arrested before she entered a restricted area and that “airport security was never compromised.” Io Dodds23 August 2022 01:36 1661213716
The suspect filed a lawsuit against her former employer
The Atlanta suspect appears to have filed a lawsuit against her former employer and other parties in May, making the same allegations contained in her LinkedIn posts. In a 407-page complaint uncovered by Kevin D Reyes, an open source intelligence analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Raissa Djuissi Kengne accuses her former employer of conspiring with her building management company, her neighbors and her previous lawyers to retaliate against her. “This case involves the retaliation, harassment, harassment, intimidation, threats, burglary, computer hacking, phone theft and other attacks Plaintiff was subjected to when he reported a violation to the appropriate authorities [various finance laws]”, the complaint states. In the version seen by The Independent, only Ms Kengne’s neighbour, Justin Mungal, had yet to respond in detail to the lawsuit, calling her complaint a “pleading shotgun” and denying her claims. Io Dodds23 August 2022 01:15 1661209661
Suspect’s LinkedIn posts listed buildings where shootings took place
The suspect in the Atlanta attack appears to be an information security auditor who made social media posts alleging a plot against her, the Independent has found. Atlanta transit directors told officers Monday that the suspect’s name was Raissa Kengne, according to local news station CBS 46. And in the week before the shooting, a LinkedIn page belonging to one Raïssa Kengne made a series of posts mentioning the same buildings where Monday’s killings took place. Ms. Kengne, whose LinkedIn page identifies her as the managing director of her own Atlanta-based accounting firm, alleged that her former employer had targeted her for criminal acts in a conflict with the manager of her apartment building. “My house was broken into, my computers were hacked and my phones were bugged,” she claimed, adding that she believed the “data” in her safe had been deleted. A video showed her arguing with a police officer and complaining that a reported burglary at her home had not been properly investigated. Ms. Kengne’s posts refer to the same apartment building where Atlanta police said the first of two shooting victims was shot on Monday. And the company he previously worked for has its Atlanta office in the same building where the third victim was shot. Atlanta police have not yet identified the suspect who was arrested. Io Dodds23 August 2022 00:07 1661207219
Is this the Atlanta suspect’s LinkedIn page?
A LinkedIn page has surfaced that appears to belong to the Atlanta shooting suspect. Metro Atlanta’s rail service sent an email to employees naming the suspect as Raissa Kengne, CBS 46 reports. There is indeed a LinkedIn page for a woman by that name, who lives in Atlanta, works as an information security auditor, and appears to match an early photo of the suspect. The page’s owner has made a series of unusual posts, alleging a criminal conspiracy against her by one of her former employers in the company of her apartment building manager and posting videos of her interactions with Atlanta police. The Independent investigates further. Io Dodds22 August 2022 23:26
