Chaos As Gunman Opens Fire In Midtown Atlanta Restaurant

ATLANTA, GA -- Police in Atlanta are investigating a brazen attempted robbery and shooting at a popular restaurant in West Midtown, Patch has learned. The incident happened just outside JCT Kitchen on Monday night and continued inside the eatery, police said.

A married couple were approached by a gunman in the parking lot at the eatery at 1198 Howell Mill Road, police said. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)
The gunman demanded the watch of the husband, identified by authorities as 25-year-old Bruno Bafico. When Bafico refused, that's when the man pulled out a gun and opened fire, authorities said. Bafico ran into the restaurant, where guests were enjoying dinner.

The gunman chased Bafico into the eatery, firing shots amid the terrified crowd as chaos ensued.

“We were sitting in the back, there was four of us and I heard a pop -- sounded like a balloon and then a louder pop and then a really loud pop, screaming, glass shattering," patron David Collins told WAGA-TV.

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Collins said that the people dashed out of the dining room as shots flew. "I immediately jumped up and was right by the kitchen and ran into the kitchen and a whole bunch of people were behind me, there was about 15 or 20 of us in the kitchen," he told the TV station. "I was basically looking for exit points and where we can move and I sat there looked out back and people running out the side of the restaurant so I decided to stay in the kitchen and make sure I had two different exits to get out.”

Bafica was badly wounded in the shooting, according to WGCL-TV. He was shot in the stomach and leg and rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was reported in critical but stable condition.

Authorities are searching for the gunman, who is believed to have gotten away in a late-model black jeep or SUV. He is described as a light-complexioned black or Hispanic male with long wavy hair, according to reports.

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