In the early morning hours of New Year's Eve 2019, the lives of two men were cut short in a violent encounter on a northeast Atlanta road. Byron Edwards, a 28-year-old African American man, was discovered shot to death inside a red Kia Sorento on December 31, 2019. Alongside him was another victim, 28-year-old Kyle P. Booth; both men had sustained fatal gunshot wounds in what investigators believe was a targeted attack.
The discovery was made around 4 a.m.
when Atlanta police responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle. The car was located in the 2500 block of Lenox Road, near the intersection of Buford Highway and not far from Interstate 85. The vehicle's position, having seemingly rolled backward onto the sidewalk after the shooting, and the significant amount of ballistics evidence recovered at the scene painted a grim picture of the events that had transpired. Investigators determined that the shooting likely occurred while the vehicle was in the roadway.
In the days following the double homicide, the Atlanta Police Department worked to piece together the circumstances leading to the deaths of Edwards and Booth. In an effort to generate leads, they released surveillance video showing three vehicles that were in the area around the time of the shooting. Authorities expressed hope that the occupants of these vehicles may have witnessed the incident or the moments leading up to it and urged them to come forward.
Despite the efforts of law enforcement, including a thorough examination of the crime scene and pleas to the public for information, the investigation has been hampered by a lack of eyewitnesses and the absence of definitive surveillance footage of the attack. Although several persons of interest were interviewed, no concrete evidence has emerged to link any individual to the crime. The case of Byron Edwards and Kyle Booth remains unsolved, with no arrests made and no suspects publicly identified. The families of both men have held vigils and community events to raise awareness, continuing their search for justice and closure in the face of this unresolved tragedy.
