Security guard killed in shooting at Honduran Consulate in Georgia

Henri Hollis and Jozsef Papp, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jan 6, 2025

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ATLANTA — A double shooting at the Honduran Consulate in Doraville left a security guard dead Monday afternoon, the Honduran government confirmed.

A second person was injured in the shooting, which happened outside the main entrance at about 2:30 p.m., according to Emily Heenan with the city of Doraville. The consulate is located at 6755 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on the ground floor of a two-story building.

In a news conference in Honduras, Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina said the guard, whose name was not released, was from Mexico and worked for a security company hired by the consulate.

Doraville investigators were questioning a suspect Monday. Reina said the person tried to enter the consulate with a gun, which is not allowed. He clarified that the suspect did not have an appointment.

The security guard was not carrying a gun, Reina confirmed.

Reina said authorities are investigating the nationality of the suspect, who they believe is Honduran. He said the consulate has turned over surveillance video to police.

The foreign minister expressed condolences to the security guard’s family and said he is in contact with local and state officials and the State Department, as well as Honduras president Xiomara Castro and U.S. Ambassador Laura Dogu.

During the investigation, police taped off most of the business complex’s parking lot while officials were inside the office talking to employees. By 5:30 p.m., officers began to leave the scene.

Authorities did not provide the condition of the second victim.

A couple of people inside a store that sells food and clothes across from the consulate watched the investigation from a window but didn’t want to talk about the incident. A woman and some coworkers seen leaving the office adjacent to the consulate also declined to comment.

In the United States, there are 14 Honduran consulates in addition to the Honduran Embassy in Washington, according to the consulate’s website.

An embassy, typically in a country’s capital, serves as the headquarters for government representatives serving in foreign countries, according to the National Museum of American Diplomacy. Consulates provide similar services as embassies, helping residents from those countries who are in the U.S. Doraville’s Honduran consulate opened in 2010 and is the first in Georgia, the consulate’s website states.

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