Early Sunday morning, around 2:27 a.m., police responded to a shooting at a gas station on the 3000 block of Moreland Avenue in DeKalb County

• Early Sunday morning, around 2:27 a.m., police responded to a shooting at a gas station on the 3000 block of Moreland Avenue in DeKalb County. https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com+2WSB-TV Channel 2 – Atlanta+2

• The victim was identified as Kinaya Hightower. WSB-TV Channel 2 – Atlanta+1

• Police say she was celebrating her birthday when she was killed. FOX 5 Atlanta+1

• According to investigators, she was an innocent bystander caught in a shoot-out during a “car meet-up”. FOX 5 Atlanta+1

• As of the latest updates, no arrests have been made. The investigation is open and ongoing. WSB-TV Channel 2 – Atlanta+1

Why it matters / additional context

• This kind of “car meet-up” environment has, in some cases, been known to escalate, sometimes involving large crowds, modified vehicles, loud gatherings, and unfortunately, sometimes violence. That context may help explain how an innocent person got caught in crossfire.

• The time (very early morning) and location (gas station on Moreland Ave) mean lighting, crowd control, and witnesses may all be challenging for the investigation.

• Because the victim was celebrating her birthday, it adds an especially tragic layer — she was not the target, but a person caught up in someone else’s conflict.

What we don’t yet know

• The identities of the shooter(s) or how the shoot-out was triggered.

• Whether the “car meet-up” was legal/official or more informal/impromptu.

• Whether the event had any security, or whether this was part of a larger pattern in that area.

• More detailed background on Hightower beyond what is publicly reported so far (age, family, exact birthday plans).

• The exact sequence of shots: who fired first, who was the intended target, and how Hightower ended up being hit.