One person was killed and another was injured after what began as a water gun battle ended in a shootout Friday afternoon at a Fayette County park.
Authorities said a “group of youths” were playing with squirt guns and water balloons at Kenwood Park about 5 p.m. when a fight broke out among the participants.
“The altercation rapidly escalated as those fighting began exchanging gunfire,” the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “One victim collapsed on the scene.”
The 18-year-old was rushed to Piedmont Fayette Hospital but died of his injuries shortly after arriving, sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Allen Stevens said Saturday.
A second person who was wounded in the shooting left the scene before authorities arrived. He was later dropped off at Southern Regional Medical Center with what deputies described as non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators have not released the names of anyone involved or announced any arrests.
Stevens said detectives are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses from the park. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the sheriff’s office at at 770-461-6353.