John Atterberry’s life was tragically cut short at the hands of a gunman who terrorized Hollywood in a shooting rampage Dec. 9. Atterberry, 40, was CFO and senior partner of Gridlock Group, an events promotion firm based in Los Angeles, as well as a burgeoning film producer of the upcoming God’s Country. Previously, Atterberry worked for Tabu Records and was vp of Death Row Records, the hip-hop label founded by Marion “Suge” Knight that released records by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, among others. Atterberry, an L.A. native, was driving near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street when he was struck three times by 26-year-old Tyler Brehm, who indiscriminately fired as many as 20 rounds at motorists. (Chris Godley, a THR editor, also was slightly injured when a bullet entered his car and grazed his leg.) Atterberry was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he died Dec. 12. Brehm was shot and killed by police officers during the incident, which began at about 10:15 a.m. and lasted just minutes. The gunman’s ex-girlfriend, Alicia Alligood, told KTLA-TV that Brehm had been “stressed out” in the days leading up to the incident and was taking drugs given to him by a woman he believed was a pharmaceutical salesperson. But police have not determined the motive behind the shootings. “I was shocked to hear the news,” says Courtney Barnes, a publicist for Ron Artest and Smokey Robinson who has worked with Atterberry. “His office is nearby, ours is four blocks away — it could have been any of us driving through that intersection.”
