Man who was shot after Lindbergh pool party says he was in the wrong place, wrong time

ATLANTA - Atlanta police made three arrests associated with a triple shooting in Buckhead.

One of the injured victims said he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Three men were hospitalized in stable condition after police said the incident began with a fight between a large group of people at a pool party that afternoon.

The fight escalated, spilling over into the parking lot of the Lindbergh Home Depot nearby where someone fired shots.

"What happened to me was truly wrong place and wrong time," Volkan Topalli said. 

A simple run to the Lindbergh Home Depot for potting soil ended with Volkan Topalli injured.

"I knew there was something going on there that night because when I drove into the parking lot there were a lot of young people there in bathing suits," Topalli said.

Atlanta police said a fight at a nearby apartment complex rooftop pool party spilled into the lobby and eventually the parking lot of Home Depot.

"I got my potting soil and I was waiting in line and then we heard four shots ring out while waiting in line in the gardening section. They had echoes to them so I knew they came from the parking garage," Topalli said.

Topalli waited until he thought the coast was clear and went outside and called 911.

"At that point I saw a car taking off from the home depot peeling out and I saw the passenger door open up and saw someone pull the gun out and firing randomly in the air," Topalli said.

Last week police arrested these three men in connection to the shooting that sent a total of 3 men to the hospital.

Police said 17-year-old James Daniels, 19-year-old Nicholas Poole, 18-year-old Bryce Dowell were all arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

"I’ve been in Atlanta for 21 years studying street violence and urban crime," Topalli said.

Topalli works to gather research from non-incarcerated individuals and says although we are seeing a spike crime is not where it once was 10-15 years ago. 

"I think the most important things cities can do when trying to figure out how to tackle problems is look at the people who are doing the research on the ground," Topalli said.

Topalli believes with all the colleges and universities in the area there’s no reason why leaders shouldn’t listen.

"They need to think of every department of social work, criminology, psychology as a think tank that’s available to them," Topalli said.

As for Topalli and his recovery, he had to have surgery because the bullet was logged into his forearm and shattered a bone. 

He’s now able to move his fingers and is recovering. 

The other two men injured in the shooting are expected to make a full recovery.

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