Athens man Daniel Macias fatally shot early Saturday

ATHENS, Ga - Athens Clarke County Police held a town hall meeting Wednesday night in Athens after a murder in the downtown area this weekend.

It was the first murder in the downtown area since 2003.

"This homicide is important to this police department. It is important to this entire community," Chief Scott Freeman, with the Athens Police Department, told the crowd.

He said the victim, 28 year old Daniel Macias, was shot multiple times at the coer of North Jackson Street and East Hancock Avenue on the edge of downtown Athens early Saturday moing.

"He was downtown, we don't know a lot of the details of where he was coming from, where he was going," Chief Freeman told the crowd.

The Chief told reporters Macias and another man, a person of interest, a white man in dark clothing, were seen converging together on surveillance video shortly before Macias was shot off camera, but not robbed.

"We feel very confident that this is not a random act like a robbery or anything like that. This is something that was very specific to these two individuals and we just have to figure out what that is," said Chief Freeman.

Numerous residents at the town hall meeting asked a various questions of the Chief and other Police Brass.

”I’m wondering from a social media presence what can be done to communicate it a little more?" asked one woman.

Others asked about police patrols in the downtown area. Police replied more patrols are not needed nor would it have made a difference in the murder of Macias.

"It's shocking, it's jarring that something like that can happen in any community in general and our community specifically," said Shawn Butcher, who operates a restaurant in downtown Athens.

After the town hall friends of Macias lit candles at his growing memorial, some drove from Alpharetta where they told me Macias graduated in 2006 from Chattahoochee High School.

"Like, everyone wants justice because he's such a loveable guy no one can really say anything negative about him, said Andrew Ke, a high school buddy of Macias.

Friends said Macias worked at Agua Linda, a Mexican Restaurant in Athens. They said he had worked at an Athens Mexican Restaurant and was known and liked around the downtown area.

"This person needs to be taken off of the street, Athens is an incredible town we bring incredible people here," said Erin Lahey, a friend of Macias.

Chief Freeman told the crowd he is using all available resources to find the killer of Macias.

It is a Crime Stoppers case with a potential reward of $1000.00. Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 706-705-4775. Tipsters can remain anonymous.