Two teenagers are dead and several sustained injuries after a shooting at an apartment complex in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday.
The Atlanta Police Department said that a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy lost their lives after a social media dispute escalated and resulted in shooting in the apartment.
According to Atlanta Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr, a 15-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy, were also injured during the gunfire. The incident took place around 5pm at 3000 Continental Colony Parkway SW, the location of the Retreat Greenbriar Apartments, 11Alive News reported.
They were transported to local hospitals. Police refused to give more details about their condition but said that one of the three injured teenagers was grazed by a bullet.
“We know that there was some type of dispute on social media that escalated to gunfire,” Mr Hampton Jr said. “One group of individuals came to the apartment with their guns and then the other group fired their weapons.”He said that it was correct to characterise the incident as a shootout, as “multiple people were shooting”.
The number of individuals who were shooting is not currently known, but authorities said there were multiple.
“I hate being here, talking about kids and gunfire,” said Mr Hampton Jr. “It’s just too many guns in the hands of our youth”.
Police said at least two of the victims were Atlanta Public School students.
“This should be a time that we are getting ready for the holidays,” Mr Hampton Jr said. “We have at least two families that will be planning for funerals.”
