Decatur High to honor drive-by victim

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Decatur High School will hold a moment of silence Tuesday morning for a sophomore who was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Mikel Pittard, 17, died early Sunday after a shooting at Memorial Drive and I-285, DeKalb County Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said.

Police said they have no suspects.

Pittard played junior varsity football at Decatur High and basketball in middle school.

"He had a big group of friends," principal Lauri McKain-Fernandez said Monday. "He was well-loved by his peers."

Pittard was one of five teens who had just left a teen club when someone in another vehicle fired at their car on Memorial, police said. Another teen sustained minor injuries from shattered glass.

Two of those surviving teens attend Decatur High, Fernandez said. Pittard also has a brother and sister who attend Decatur High.

"I think we'll have a few days of difficulty," the principal said. "We've never had anything like this in my nine years here."

In addition to a moment of silence, Decatur High will have extra counselors when students return from the Columbus Day holiday, she said.

"He was a very energetic young man and he had a million-dollar smile," said Charlie Copp, Pittard's world history teacher.

On Monday evening, Pittard's siblings and friends gathered outside the victim's apartment, which is across the street from the Decatur High football stadium. They joked about funny things he used to do and talked about playing basketball.

Detectives said they are still trying to determine if an incident at the teen club led to the shooting.

The driver made it to the Kensington MARTA Station around 1:30 a.m., and police were notified.

Staff Reporter Larry Hartstein contributed to this report.