Police said 15 to 20 rounds were fired into a house on Greenleaf Circle SW.
ATLANTA, GA — A woman was rushed to a hospital early Friday after police said she was shot in the throat during a burst of gunfire that struck a home in southwest Atlanta, as investigators searched for a suspect believed to have fired from a vehicle.
The shooting, reported around 6 a.m., left a neighborhood shaken and brought a heavy police presence to Greenleaf Circle SW in the Ben Hill area. Officers said the woman was conscious when help arrived and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Police described the attack as targeted and said they were working to identify the shooter and the vehicle involved.
Officers responded to a home in the 4300 block of Greenleaf Circle SW after a call for a person shot, police said. A second person inside the home helped the wounded woman before emergency crews arrived, according to investigators. Police said the woman was alert, conscious and breathing as she was transported to Grady. Later in the day, officials continued to describe her condition as serious. Police said the gunfire came in a rapid burst and that investigators believed 15 to 20 shots were fired into the house from outside.
Authorities said the shots appeared to have come from a car, suggesting the gunman fired while passing the home or after pulling up nearby. Police did not say how many people were inside the house at the time, whether the woman was the only person struck, or whether other homes or vehicles were damaged. No arrests were announced Friday, and police did not release the woman’s name. Investigators spent much of the day looking for surveillance video from the area and checking for witnesses who might have seen a vehicle leaving around the time of the shooting.
The gunfire woke neighbors who said the street is usually quiet. One nearby resident, a mother who asked not to be identified, told a television crew she heard “multiple gunshots, lots and lots of gunshots,” and said the sound at 6 a.m. was startling. She said she jumped up to check on her children first and then looked outside. “All I really could see was a car pull off,” she said. Another neighbor described the area as a peaceful community of hard-working families and said the sudden violence left people asking why the home was hit.
Police said they believe the shooting was targeted, but they have not explained what led investigators to that view or who they believe the intended victim was. The department did not publicly describe a suspect, a make and model of the vehicle, or the direction it fled. Investigators also did not say what type of firearm was used. Authorities said they were still working to determine the motive and to confirm where the shooter was positioned at the time of the attack.
In the hours after the shooting, officers focused on collecting evidence from the scene and surrounding area. Investigators typically look for shell casings, bullet fragments, and damage patterns to help estimate where shots were fired and how many rounds entered a home. Police also try to identify camera footage from doorbell cameras, nearby homes, and traffic cameras that can capture a vehicle’s route. On Friday, investigators said they were reviewing surveillance video in hopes of identifying the shooter.
Residents in the Ben Hill area said the noise and the early hour made the morning feel especially tense. A rapid volley of shots can make it hard for people to tell which direction the gunfire came from, and by the time someone looks outside, a vehicle can be gone. Neighbors said they were left with questions about whether the home was mistaken for another address, whether the shooter knew who was inside, and whether the gunman planned the attack or acted on a sudden impulse. Police have not answered those questions publicly and said the investigation was continuing.
By Friday afternoon, authorities had not said whether anyone had been identified as a suspect. Police also had not said whether the woman had any connection to the shooter or whether the home had been threatened before. Officials did not announce any pending charges, and no court dates were set because no arrest had been made. Police said they were seeking information from anyone who may have seen a suspicious vehicle around Greenleaf Circle SW near 6 a.m., including drivers who may have dash camera video from the area.
Investigators often rely on community tips in cases involving shots fired from moving vehicles, especially when a shooter is not immediately identified at the scene. Police said people with information should contact Crime Stoppers. The department did not say Friday whether it believes the shooter acted alone, and it was unclear whether detectives were searching for a single suspect or multiple people who may have been in the car.
For neighbors, the shooting brought a wave of fear and frustration. The resident who spoke anonymously said she could hear the length of the burst and worried someone might be hurt. She said her first thought was for her children and whether they were safe. Afterward, she said she tried to make sense of why someone would fire so many shots into a home where people were sleeping. Others in the area said they were hoping the woman recovers and that police quickly find the person responsible.
Police said Friday evening that the case remained under investigation and that detectives were still working to identify the vehicle and the shooter. No additional details about the woman’s identity or condition were released. Officials said they expect to continue reviewing video and interviewing potential witnesses in the coming days.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 27, 2026.