A shooting at an Atlanta apartment complex on Saturday that authorities said started as an online argument resulted in the deaths of two adolescent boys and the wounding of three more minors.
Just after 5 o’clock, police were called to the complex in the southwest part of the city. The other casualties were taken to a hospital for treatment, while two victims were pronounced dead on the spot.
According to Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr., the victims were two boys, ages 14 and 16, while the injured included two boys, ages 11 and 15, as well as a 15-year-old girl.
“We are aware that there was some sort of social media argument that developed into a shooting,” Hampton added. “One group of people entered the flat carrying guns, and the other group opened fire.”
When asked if the incident could be considered a shootout, Hampton responded that it would be appropriate because “several people were firing.”
Additionally, he claimed that the violence started inside an apartment before spreading outside, where the bodies of the two fatal victims were discovered.
Other than to mention that all of the injured youngsters had been shot and one of them had been grazed by a bullet, Hampton declined to comment on the specifics of their health.
Multiple other people were being questioned by homicide detectives to find out if they may have been involved.
Hampton bemoaned the fact that “too many guns are in the hands of our youth” and remarked, “I detest being here talking about kids and bullets.”
He continued, “This should be a time that we are preparing for the holidays, but we have at least two families that will be arranging funerals, and then you might have some other families that were heavily involved and have to deal with that.”
