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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Since opening in 2020, The Boiler Seafood And Crab Boil Atlanta in Buckhead has drawn crowds for its Cajun-style food and cocktails. But its owner, 33-year-old Chad Dillon, was shot and killed in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood on Tuesday, according to police and his attorney.

In the wake of his death, Dillon’s Instagram page has been flooded with condolences from friends and dedicated customers. Dillon was known as an accomplished businessman and philanthropist, drawing interviews from the likes of Forbes and Ebony magazine.

A memorial of flowers and balloons now sits outside of his Buckhead restaurant. One of Dillon’s friends, Bentley, stopped at the establishment on Wednesday to leave roses in his memory.

“You gotta give him his roses. He helped the community out,” Bentley said. “He deserved them. He was giving everybody else stuff, so that’s all I had to give him.”

Bentley, like many others, told Atlanta News First he couldn’t believe it when he first heard about Dillon’s death.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Beloved Atlanta business owner shot to death in Old Fourth Ward, attorney says

On Tuesday, police said they were called to 480 John Wesley Dobbs Ave. NE near the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park around 3:50 p.m. The victim — identified as Dillon by his attorney, Malcolm Conner — had several gunshot wounds and later died.

Connor said Dillon was killed near a new Jamaican restaurant he planned to open soon. The businessman’s friends told Atlanta News First that he was walking to his Rolls-Royce when the shooting happened.

Police said the incident was targeted and are looking for a suspect.

Although he was known for The Boiler, Dillon was an entrepreneur beyond his years. He also co-owned The Seafood Menu with rapper Lil Baby, a Sugar Baby Ice Cream shop and other establishments in the metro Atlanta area.

Dillon told Ebony he started his first venture at Howard University as a business student. He bought an exotic car, and several people offered him money to rent it out for video shoots and other uses. He eventually expanded the business to at least seven cars, all of which “paid for themselves,” he said.

When he moved to Atlanta, Dillon noticed the only seafood spot around was a franchise chain called the Juicy Crab in Smyrna. He applied to open a location but was rejected.

“They were making millions. Everybody was driving 30 minutes to eat in Smyrna,” he told Ebony. “Naturally, as a businessman, I was like, if we bring crab legs to Buckhead, we have to win.”

And win he did. Dillon opened The Boiler and made $8 million in his first year. He told Forbes lines stretched out of the door for the first six months.

“The vibe we created in The Boiler, as even as a full family restaurant, it’s a place where you can be comfortable, stay for a while (and) talk. People were comfortable bringing the whole family here to relax and ease their mind compared to going out to sit somewhere else,” he said.

Dillon was also interested in giving back to his community. In 2022, he spoke with Atlanta News First about his efforts to help convicted felons develop businesses and stay out of jail.

RELATED: Buckhead restaurateur helping convicted felons start new with startup cash

For 13 weeks, Dillon taught nine inmates social and business skills, later donating $14,000 to their startups.

“Some of these guys are really good guys who made one mistake,” he said. “These people still have skills, talent, a lot of knowledge and they’re still creatives. We can’t forget that.”