The vehicle owner, 30-year-old Quadarius McDowell, saw his car being driven and took off running toward his car after Gordon got into the driver’s seat. Upon approaching the car, police say McDowell fired multiple gunshots hitting the driver’s side window.
McDowell shot at his car because he thought it was being stolen, police said.
After the shooting, McDowell attempted to run away, but was quickly arrested by police. Police recovered a Glock 45 9mm handgun upon apprehending McDowell.
Gordon succumbed to his gunshot wounds at the hospital approx. 30 minutes later.
“We shouldn’t have to go through this. It’s just a test drive for him to get killed, a young brother,” Edwards said.
Atlanta NAACP President Gerald Griggs says more should be done to address gun access in the state.
“There needs to be a conversation at the Gold Dome about legislation that limits the access to weapons. I understand people have their Second Amendment rights, but I also understand people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Griggs said.
McDowell has since been charged with malice murder and is currently in the DeKalb County Jail. A judge denied his bond on Jan. 2.
Gordon was a graduate of Fort Valley State University where he earned a degree in criminal justice.
“Praying for the family of FVSU alumni Daniel Gordon,” fellow alumni, Pamela Jones wrote in a Facebook post.
Gordon’s longtime girlfriend, Amari Bowden, is struggling with his passing.
“He was so vibrant and charming. This isn’t what he deserved,” Bowden told local station.
“Daniel was super sweet, super charming. He loved everyone that came in contact with him. His presence filled the room with joy,” Bowden added.
The owner of Tires Plus, Bridgestone Retail Operations, says in a statement to WXIA, “Daniel was a valued member of our organization who had been with us for eight months. He will be deeply missed.”
“It’s awful in the sense of losing somebody you knew,” Gordon’s friend Andrea Davis told WXIA.
“We go to our jobs every day, and we think we do it to make a living to survive. Somehow, he went to work that day, and it was the opposite. It’s really messed up,” Davis added.
