Officials said on Sunday that the 12-year-old victim of a gunshot that occurred on Saturday night near a well-known Atlanta shopping area was also the same age as the five people who were injured.
The victims’ ages were confirmed by the mayor on Sunday, and authorities have hinted that a few young people who were there during the brawl may be detained in connection with the death.
At a press conference, police chief Darin Schierbaum said, “We do anticipate warrants will be issued.
According to police, the victims and suspects were among a group of youngsters that were kicked out of Atlantic Station on Saturday before gunshots broke out just outside the mall at about 8 o’clock.
“Everybody involved was a teenager, and we recovered three handguns from the scene yesterday,” the chief said.
According to police, the group was kicked out for being noisy and disobeying the mall’s 3 p.m. curfew for minors not accompanied by an adult. Schierbaum claims that among the group were young individuals who knew each other and had argued earlier in the month.
A confrontation may have resulted in a shooting while the gang was moving close to the property near the Atlanta Connector, where Interstates 75 and 85 merge. There might have been more than one shooter, according to the mayor and his chief. Dickens reported, “A shootout occurred.”
The mayor chastised parents for allowing their children to walk far from home unaccompanied. He claimed that after speaking with the parents of the victims, it was evident that some were unaware that their kids were left unattended at Atlantic Station on Saturday.
“It’s important to know where your child is at all times,” Dickens said.
He commended his policemen for carrying out their duties across the mall, which, according to him, paid them for the unique retail assignments. He also commended the police and the non-sworn security for “carrying out the curfew.”
The unaccounted-for time between the curfew at 3 p.m. and the shooting time of 8 p.m. was not clarified, and inquiries for more information from police and the mayor’s office were not immediately answered.
Twenty-six security professionals, including cops it pays to monitor the shopping centre premises, are employed by the administration of the shopping complex, according to a statement.
One of the victims, who attended an Atlanta public school, is still in critical condition, according to Dickens.
“When a 12-year-old dies in our city — on our city streets … the whole village has a responsibility, and the whole village is impacted,” Dickens said at the news conference.
One of the busiest shopping weekends of the year was when the incident occurred.
