By Joe Johnson
Athens-Clarke County police on Sunday said they were investigating a fifth shooting incident in about a week.
According to police Public Information Officer Lt. Shaun Barnett, officers responded at 10 a.m. to a report of gunshots in the 100 block of Lake Drive. Upon arrival they found a male with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the foot, he said, adding that there were no suspects.
The incident was the fifth shooting incident since April 24, when a home on Bid Oak Circle was struck by gunfire in a drive-by shooting.
No one was injured in that shooting or in subsequent drive-bys that targeted a Lavender Lakes Drive residence on April 25, a Heelstone Avenue home on April 28, and a Benedict court residence on April 29.
“In each of these instances multiple rounds were fired and the houses were struck multiple times,” Barnett said. “Motives are unknown at this time,” the officer said, adding, “Because of the close proximity in time of all these incidents, detectives believe that they could be related but are still working to confirm that.
At two of the locations, officers reportedly recovered a total of more than 60 spent bullet cartridge casings from both pistols and rifles.
Barnett said the preliminary investigation of Sunday’s shooting of the man on Lake Drive found no evidence to indicate it was a drive-by.
“However, it is still early in the investigation,” the officer said early Sunday afternoon.
Early Saturday morning, an Athens man was killed and another was wounded when someone in a vehicle opened fire on the victims’ vehicle on Ga. Highway 316 in Barrow County.
The deceased victim was identified as 20-year-old Ke’Travian Tyvon Cole, an up-and-coming Athens rapper who performed under the name EBE Montana. One of three other occupants was a relative of Cole’s who was wounded by gunfire and transported to a local hospital.
Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith reportedly said he requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation because the shooting might have resulted from an incident that occurred in Athens.
A family member created a GoFundMe account to help with Cole's funeral expenses.