Life of man killed in accidental shooting on I-285 honored

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DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Family and friends gather to celebrate the life of a man shot and killed on Interstate 285 Thursday morning.

Dozens of people packed the Waffle House on Panola Road where Mario Washington worked.

DeKalb County Police said the father of 13 was in his car Thursday morning on I-285 near Flat Shoals Road when he was accidentally shot by one of two passengers in the back seat of the vehicle he was driving, shortly after he picked up his wife from work. The bullet hit Washington in the torso. Medics rushed Washington to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Medics also took Washington’s wife to Grady because she suffered a panic attack after the shooting.

FOX 5 News spoke with his daughter during the vigil Friday night as she fought back tears. She talked about the kind of man her father was.

Police charged 29-year-old Cedrick Martin with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death. Police said Martin was a friend of Washington and has expressed regrets about the incident.

Campbell said the fourth person in the car was a relative of Washington and was not injured.