Arrest made in killing of Atlanta grandmother, 77
(NewsNation) — Atlanta police arrested a man they say killed a grandmother Saturday night in her gated home.
Antonio Brown, 23, was taken into custody for the crime, but authorities aren’t ruling out the possibility that others may have been involved.
Police say 77-year-old Eleanor “Ellen” Bowles walked in on her car being stolen from her attached garage in the affluent community of Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia.
Her son found her dead body in that garage hours later.
“I was on my way to visit her for the holidays and got to her a few hours too late,” her son said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the killings of Bowles is rocking the community.
“My heart aches for these family members,” he said.
What authorities know, Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton said, is that Brown allegedly entered the complex on foot.
“How he bypassed the security gate is still under investigation,” Hampton said. “We are still combing through video to see how he accessed those gates.”
Brown was charged with murder, aggravated battery, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, elder abuse and hijacking a motor vehicle, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It was unclear Tuesday afternoon whether he has retained an attorney.
A network of cameras and community participation called Connect Atlanta is helping bring cases like Bowles’ to a close, Dickens said. Through the program, businesses and residents can register their security cameras with the Atlanta Police Department, and give law enforcement and first responders direct access to their camera feed in case of a nearby emergency.
“We are proud that our residents and businesses have answered the call to register and integrate their cameras into Connect Atlanta,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bowles is remembered as an animal lover, loving grandmother, and a “wonderful, kind, generous woman,” local media outlet WXIA reported.