UPS driver stable after Friday night shooting, police continue search for gunman

ATLANTA - Police in DeKalb County said they are following several leads to find the man who shot a UPS driver in the parking lot of a Decatur grocery store Friday night. The shooting happened inside the parking lot of Food Depot on Redan Road just before 7 p.m. 

Authorities in DeKalb said when officers got to the scene they found the driver, a man in his 30s, suffering from a gunshot wound. Detectives spent the evening combing over surveillance video, questioning potential witnesses, and searching the scene for evidence. Investigators believe the shooting started as an argument between the driver and the shooter. 

 "It’s heartbreaking…it’s very heartbreaking," resident Niki Jenkins-Thomas told Fox 5.

Jenkins-Thomas said her daughter witnessed the shooting. She recalled seeing the driver was in the parking lot trying to get some barbecue when a man approached him with a gun and tried to rob him. 

"When the guy shot him, he fled off in a black Cadillac truck…they say it was a black Cadillac truck. He fled off and went over to the Chevron and tried to rob a gentleman at the door of the Chevron," she recalled. "I tell my children all the time to stay mindful of their surroundings, okay? It’s sad to say, but you can’t trust anyone anymore," Jenkins-Thomas continued. 

Medics arrived on-scene shortly after and rushed the driver to the hospital. This isn’t the first time a UPS driver in the Metro Atlanta area has been in a life-threatening situation while on the job according to UPS Union rep Evette Avery. 

"We’ve had several people shot at, tricks shot up, people kidnaped, and we really need some something in place in order to protect us on the road," Avery told Fox 5 in an interview in April. 

Another UPS driver told Fox 5 he was shot at while trying to deliver a package back in April. Avery, whose been with the company for 16 years, started a change.org petition urging UPS to put more safety measures in place for drivers out making deliveries. It currently has more than 2,500 signatures. 

Residents who shop in the area where the shooting happened say they’re also concerned for their safety. 

"These people crazy these days, you have to be real careful…they shooting just to be shooting," Food Depot shopper Wanda Bigby said.

While Jenkins-Thomas said she’s praying for the family of the driver, now in the hospital, she also had a message for the gunman.

"I would tell the gentleman that did the shooting…go turn your behind in (because) they gone get you. You don’t get away with things," she said. 

The name of the driver has not been released. DeKalb County Police said his condition is improving, and he is expected to survive. Investigators told Fox 5 they are following several promising leads. A spokesperson for Atlanta-based UPS said they are cooperating with the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the DeKalb County Police Department.