Atlanta Gambling Dispute Leads to Deadly Shooting, Cops Seize Firearm

Time Stamp: May 24, 2022 2:52 PM

A gambling disagreement turned into a fatal shooting early today (May 24) in Atlanta. A 32-year-old man died from his wounds.

Lt. Ralph Woolfolk, commander of the Atlanta Police Department’s homicide unit
Lt. Ralph Woolfolk, commander of the Atlanta Police Department’s homicide unit, pictured above. He released initial information on a gambling-related shooting today. (Image: WXIA)

Another man, believed to be 31-years-old, was named a person of interest. He was apprehended by Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers. Initial reports did not say if that person is a suspect. Neither man was identified by police.

Based on early information, an argument over gambling led to the shooting, Lt. Ralph Woolfolk, commander of APD’s homicide unit, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.

The case was being investigated as a homicide. Officers today were trying to “determine the circumstances” behind the shooting, APD said in an online statement.

APD cops first arrived at the crime scene, an apartment complex on Forrest Hills Drive, at about 5:30 am. The victim had already passed away.

Police Interview Witnesses

Three possible witnesses were located by officers at the apartment complex, WSB, a local TV station, reported. They were talking to officers today.

At least one handgun was seized by officers at the crime scene, the report adds. Officers found other evidence there, too. Police did not release further details on the crime.

Prior Georgia Crime

In an unrelated case, last year three men pled guilty in connection with an alleged illegal sports betting operation in Georgia.

One of the men, Grady Brandon Mobley, 44, of Waynesboro, Ga., was a “bookie” for at least 10 years. He was working out of the state’s Burke County, according to David H. Estes, Acting US Attorney for Southern Georgia.

Initially, Mobley allegedly collected wagers and paid out winnings on his own. Eventually, his operation involved a sports wagering online site, Estes said. It was operated from Costa Rica, Estes adds.

Mobley was sentenced to five years of probation and forfeited $340,084 after pleading guilty to prohibition of an illegal gambling business, and fraud and false statements, Estes said last August. Mobley must pay $207,716 in restitution to the IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue, and pay a fine of $2,000.

Two codefendants were sentenced after also pleading guilty to prohibition of an illegal gambling business. Daniel Cates, 40, also of Waynesboro, was sentenced to three years of probation, agreed to forfeit $100,000, and was fined $4,000. Joel Rees Jones, 59, of Greenwood, S.C, was sentenced to four years of probation and must pay a fine of $10,000.

With his long-running illegal gambling operations, Grady Mobley showed utter disregard for the law and compounded the activity by drawing others into his orbit,” Estes said in a statement released last August. “These sentences will hold them all accountable for their actions.”

More Businesses Involved

In 2015, the wagering operation merged with a smaller organization operated by Jones, prosecutors said. Between 2015 and 2017, Mobley allegedly cashed bettor’s checks totaling approximately $220,000 at his parents’ check cashing business, which operated out of the Mobley Package Shop in Girard, Ga.

Mobley was helped by Cates. He told authorities he sent about $250,000 in gambling proceeds through his Waynesboro tire store, Cates Firestone, prosecutors add. He was paid cash and given other favors for the arrangement, prosecutors said.

Mobley’s greed continued to grow over the years as he operated his illegal gambling operation, eventually recruiting other individuals to take part,” Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of the FBI Atlanta office, said in a statement. “Their greed eventually caught up with them and now they will suffer the consequences.”

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