Celebration ends in gunfire, leaving Atlanta man Stephen Murphy dead

A Fourth of July homicide forced families to run for cover as gunshots rang out near two parties in Southwest Atlanta.

Police were called to the 1000 block of Garibaldi Street on Saturday night just before 6 o’clock. A man died at the scene, according to Atlanta police.

Family of the victim told reporters it was 23-year-old Stephen Murphy who was shot and killed.

Murphy was killed by someone who knew him, according to initial reports from police. The gunman ran away before police arrived.

Just up the street at Pittman Park, dozens of people were celebrating a birthday party when the gunfire erupted.

Stephen Murphy

”We went to get our kids and keep them close to us, said Robin Blossom, who was at the park. ”Everybody was running.

Homicide detectives are optimistic the relatively large crowd nearby will be able to help them determine a motive for the killing.

”A lot of people were out that's why we were asking people if they heard or saw anything, said Lt. Charles Hampton with the Atlanta Police Department.