MACON, Ga. — A woman is dead and seven other people are hurt after shootings and stabbings outside a downtown Macon bar early Friday morning.
It happened just hours before downtown shop owners opened their doors for Black Friday.
13WMAZ talked to people who say they've worked a long time to project a positive image of Macon and feel that this could set them back.
Sheriff's department SUVs blocked off parts of Cherry Street Friday morning.
They pulled out by 9 a.m., but shop owners say a crime scene unit sticks out to people shopping for the holidays.
Scott Mitchell runs Travis Jean Emporium and considers himself a downtown advocate.
"Definitely concerned for downtown business owners," he said.
Customers still showed up on Black Friday to Travis Jean Emporium, but Mitchell says one act of violence can have repercussions.
"You have so many businesses trying to do the right thing and help build downtown Macon, and I just don't want to see that diminished by the reckless actions of other people," he explained.
We talked to several business owners who didn't want to go on camera but they all agreed this incident sends the wrong message to customers coming downtown.
Tiara Groce runs X-Art, which sits right across from the shooting site at the Thirsty Turtle. Her first reaction was sympathy for victim that died.
"When I saw it was a young lady and she has two infant toddlers, like, 'She's gone,' and, 'Who is going to take care of her kids?' she said.
X-Art is a "sip and paint" space. They staged a big Black Friday event and Groce says she's already fielding questions from customers asking if it's safe to come to downtown Macon.
"I don't feel like it will affect us in the long run, but I do think it will affect us this weekend because people are still like, 'What happened?' she said.
She added that COVID-19 has already damaged the local economy and a shooting with multiple victims isn't something that any shop owner wants to see happen in their neighborhood.
"We want to just stay positive and make people want to come down here because we need their support to stay open," she explained.