The 24-year-old Georgia tire shop worker was testing driving a vehicle, moments later the vehicle owner shot him, believing his car had been stolen

A man with a bright future from Decatur, Georgia, was the victim of the gun violence that ravaged Metro Atlanta’s black community. Daniel Gordon, 24, was shot dead at work while working in an auto repair shop.

Daniel Gordon and his longtime girlfriend Amari Bowden. (Photo: Facebook/Jamita Vortice-Bowden)

“I don’t understand. He saw him in uniform,” John Claude Edwards, Gordon’s colleague, told WSB.

At around 1:30 p.m. on December 31, Gordon was working at Tires Plus. He checked the brakes on a Kia Forte and attempted to test drive the vehicle to complete the brake tests.

The car’s owner, Quadarius McDowell, 30, saw his vehicle moving and ran to his car after Gordon climbed into the driver’s seat. As he approached the vehicle, police said McDowell fired multiple shots that pierced the driver’s side window.

McDowell shot his car because he thought it was stolen, police said.

After the shooting, McDowell ran off and attempted to escape, but was quickly apprehended by police. Police seized a Glock 45 9mm pistol when McDowell was arrested.

Gordon succumbed to his gunshot wounds about 30 minutes later in hospital.

“We shouldn’t have to go through this. It’s just a test drive for him to be killed, young brother,” Edwards said.

Gordon is the latest in a string of young black men killed by gunfire in the metro area. Atlanta NAACP President Gerald Griggs believes more should be done at the State Capitol to combat gun access.

“There needs to be a conversation in the Gold Dome about laws restricting access to guns. I understand that people have their Second Amendment rights, but I also understand that people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Griggs said.

Georgia’s gun laws have been criticized in part for its constitutional carry law. Last year, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 319 into law. The law makes it legal for gun owners in Georgia to carry a concealed firearm in public without a state-issued gun license. Opponents of the bill claimed it would make cities more dangerous.

“We need to take the emotion out for a minute and address the politics that led to these deaths. The policy is constitutional to carry guns everywhere,” Griggs said.

McDowell was charged with malicious murder and is currently in the DeKalb County Jail. A judge declined his bail on January 2.

Gordon graduated from Fort Valley State University, where he earned a degree in criminal justice.

“I pray for the family of FVSU alumni Daniel Gordon,” wrote Pamela Jones, also alumni, in a Facebook post.

Gordon’s longtime girlfriend Amari Bowden is struggling with the loss.

“He was so alive and charming. He didn’t deserve that,” Bowden told local broadcaster WXIA.

“Daniel was super sweet, super charming. He loved everyone who came in contact with him. His presence filled the room with joy,” added Bowden.

“We all loved him and just can’t understand this tragedy. He did nothing wrong at work and was shot in the head by someone he didn’t even know,” Bowden’s mother, Jamita Vortice-Bowden, wrote in a Facebook post.

Tires Plus owner Bridgestone Retail Operations said in a statement to WXIA: “Daniel has been a valued member of our organization having been with us for eight months. He will be greatly missed.”

Daniel Gordon was killed while working as a mechanic testing a car he was working on. (Photo: Facebook Jamita Vortice-Bowden)

“It’s terrible to lose someone you knew,” Gordon’s friend Andrea Davis told WXIA.

“We go to our jobs every day, and we think we do it to make a living to survive. Somehow he went to work that day, and it was the opposite. It’s really messed up,” Davis added.

Gordon’s funeral is scheduled for January 14.