8-year-old girl killed, more than 20 wounded in July 4 shootings in Atlanta

07/06/2020 Business, Sports


The shooting and violence that erupted in Atlanta over the July 4 weekend left more than 20 wounded and killed three people, including an 8-year-old girl, police said.

The first of the incidents, which involved the boy, appears to have occurred in the University Avenue and Pryor Road area shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said in a statement.

The girl was traveling in a car with her mother and an adult friend on I-75/85 when they left University Avenue, Chafee said.

The driver tried to turn into a parking lot in the 1200 block of Pryor Road, but was confronted by a “group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance,” Chafee said.

“At some point, someone in that group opened fire on the vehicle, hitting it multiple times and hitting the child inside,” he said.

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The driver took the boy to the Atlanta Medical Center, Chafee said. She did not survive her injuries, she said.

In another incident, as many as 14 people were injured when they were shot on Auburn Avenue, Chafee said. Police were dispatched to the area around 1 a.m., he said.

Investigators said the man and woman had confronted a group of people who had been shooting fireworks outside their home. At some point during the conflict, they were shot and the victims were hit, Chafee said.

The man and woman were taken to the Grady Memorial Hospital, Chafee said.

"They both refused to provide information to the police about what happened," he said.

At about the same time, five people were injured in a shooting at a location on Lakewood Avenue, Chafee said.

The five victims were taken to area hospitals, he said. They were listed as stable.

Two people were also reported injured in unrelated shootings on Etheridge Drive and Edgewood Street.

City Council President Felicia Moore said she was awake until 4 a.m. on Sunday talking to voters alarmed by the spasm of violence overnight.

"This type of behavior is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated," said Moore. "It is necessary to send a strong message, so I am saying it, and I certainly hope to hear from the boss and the mayor on the same line, that this is unacceptable and cannot continue."

Moore said he contacted Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Acting Police Chief Rodney Bryant when he learned of the girl's shooting death. The scene of the incident occurred across the street from Wendy's, where police shot Rayshard Brooks in June in an incident that sparked protests across the area.

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Moore said Bryant sent a text message assuring him that the police will have the matter under control. She said voters have told her they want to hear a plan to address the increase in violent crime that has occurred in the city in recent weeks.

"Another night of this can't happen," said Moore.

Investigators are still working to determine the circumstances of the shootings. No arrests have been made in any of the cases.

Writer Scott Trubey contributed to this report.

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