Athens police shoot, kill man in wake of drive-by shootings

<p>Police shot and killed a man and arrested three others after two drive-by shootings that took place in north Clarke County.</p><p>Cesar Wilfredo Lopez, 22, was fatally shot by Athens-Clarke County police early Sunday, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting.</p><p>The shooting happened when two officers on patrol spotted a vehicle matching the description of a car used in drive-by shootings and after a short chase, stopped the car carrying five men.</p><p>While the driver remained in the car and was arrested, the four others fled. Two of the men who fled were caught and arrested and one got away.</p><p>But the officers said they shot Lopez after he pointed a gun at them, said John Heinen, special agent in charge of the GBI's Athens office.</p><p>Heinen would not say whether Lopez fired at the officers.</p><p>"We will have to do more investigating into that," Heinen said, though he added that the officers and witnesses tell consistent stories about what happened.</p><p>In the meantime, both officers have been placed on administrative leave, a routine step as the GBI investigates the shooting, according to Assistant Police Chief Alan Brown.</p><p>The three men who were arrested all have gang connections, according to Athens-Clarke County Police Capt. Clarence Holeman.</p><p>Jose Herman Ramirez, 26; Luis Ernesto Sanabria, 30; and Alfredo Sanabria, 20, have been charged with four counts of aggravated assault and violating the Georgia Street Gangs Act.</p><p>Luis Ernesto Sanabria and Alfredo Sanabria also were charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Ramirez, who was wounded in a gang-related drive-by shooting in 2004, was driving the car, police said.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x2debac8)</p>