Friends remember Thomas Arnold as police search for his killer along the Atlanta Beltline

ATLANTA - Restaurants and businesses along a popular section of the Atlanta BeltLine close to where the body of a 60-year-old Atlanta man was found over the weekend are nervous and a little on edge.

The body of Thomas Arnold was found around 7:45 a.m. Saturday near Elizabeth Street and Bernina Avenue by joggers in the area. Police said he had been shot. The Atlanta Police Department investigators said the Arnold’s death was officially ruled a homicide on Wednesday, but detectives have been treated it as one since Saturday.

Thomas Arnold was found dead near 341 Elizabeth Street NE on February 26. (Atlanta Police Department)

Who was Thomas Arnold?

Thomas Arnold was a longtime resident of Poncey-Highland and was known to walk the trails of the Atlanta BeltLine and Freedom Park.

He is also known for his volunteerism in the community which makes many who know him stunned that he was targeted along the very path he helped to beautify and maintain.

"I was shocked," a server at a nearby restaurant told FOX 5. 

Friends of Thomas Arnold said he was a kind and generous man who loved his community. (Family photo)

The woman did not want her name to be used in the story, but did want to describe who Arnold was.

"He was just super friendly. He and the rest of the crew, is what we called them, would come in, and they were a great group of guys, good friends, super kind, great tippers," she said.

Since his death, friends and family have put up a white cross donning a yellow bicycle and the words "'til we ride again" near the Atlanta Beltline Eastside and Freedom Park Trails to remember him and his life. 

People who live in the area and frequently take walks along the trails said the news is unnerving.

A makeshift memorial was set up along the Atlanta BeltLine where Thomas Arnold was found dead on Feb. 26, 2022. (FOX 5)

Search for a killer along the Atlanta BeltLine

Days after the horrific crime, police have asked again for the public's help. They believe there could be private surveillance video in the area that could help and that someone could have seen something suspicious.

"We’re asking the public, we do think there still might be some additional video out there. If you are a private, resident, or if you were someone in the area that might have captured something on your cellphone, please forward that information to our office. We want to comb through every piece of evidence that we can," Officer Ralph Woolfolk, homicide commander of the Atlanta Police Department.

Officers found the body of Thomas Arnold between Elizabeth Street and Bernita Avenue early Saturday morning. Those familiar with the area said during the day, the path is bustling, and it also gets a good amount of foot traffic at night. So, it is unsettling to them that this could happen without a witness.

Police spent days in the community canvassing the Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward communities searching for answers, and after not getting them, they upped the reward money. There is now a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for Arnold's death.

The Iman Park community is concerned following the shooting death of a 60-year-old man along the Atlanta BeltLine on Feb. 26, 2022. (FOX 5)

Police said investigators were able to recover ballistic evidence at the scene and tracked down some surveillance video in the area.

Anyone with information related to the deadly shooting should contact the Atlanta Police Homicide Unit at 404-546-4235 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.

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