Man Test Driving Car Killed by Owner After Being Mistaken for Thief: Police

A tire shop customer allegedly fatally shot an employee who had been working on his car after he reportedly mistook him for a thief, according to Georgia police.

DeKalb County Police (DCP) told ABC affiliate WSB-TV that officers responded to reports that a person had been shot at Tires Plus at 577 DeKalb Industrial Way at about 1:30 p.m. on December 31.

When officers arrived at the tire shop, they found employee Daniel Gordon, 24, was suffering from gunshot wounds.

DeKalb police detectives told the network that Quadarius McDowell, 30, had taken his car into the shop that day.

Police said Gordon started to drive McDowell's car in the shop's parking lot at some point after the customer arrived.

McDowell allegedly believed Gordon had attempted to steal his car and shot at him multiple times, hitting the victim. Investigators said Gordon had taken the vehicle for a test drive.

McDowell then fled from the shop, although police later found him and took the suspect into custody, according to WSB-TV.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the country, there were 86 fatal shootings in Georgia in December.

Gordon's co-worker John Claude Edwards told the network: "Why you know? He didn't have to do that.

"We shouldn't have to go through this. It's just a test drive for him to get killed, a young brother."

McDowell was later charged with murder on December 31 and he has been booked into the county's jail.

Newsweek contacted the DCP for comment.

Altercation at Walmart

In December, two people were injured during a shooting following an altercation inside a Walmart in Mobile, Alabama.

According to NBC15 News, the two victims - a man and a woman - were taken away from the scene of the shooting with non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting happened after two groups started shooting at one another following an argument in the self-checkout line. Both groups fled following the shooting.

It was unclear whether the two victims had been involved in the argument prior to being shot.

That month, a barber in Washington state died after being shot multiple times while he gave a haircut to an eight-year-old boy.

According to police, the child whose hair was being cut by the barber wasn't physically injured during the shooting.

In a December 1 Twitter post, the Puyallup Police said: "Shooting Update: We are confirming that one person has been shot and is deceased at the scene.

"We are actively looking for the suspect, who fled the area on foot. The suspect is described as an unknown race, male, 5-08, wearing black pants, a black jacket, and possibly a mask."