A 14-year-old boy was killed and two other teens were injured Saturday evening after a massive brawl ended in gunfire in Atlanta, authorities said.
A 17-year-old was detained after officers found two handguns on his person following the fatal incident, Atlanta police said in a statement. His involvement in the shooting remains under investigation.
Nearly 50 teenagers were present when the melee broke out in the 600 block of McAfee Street, Deputy Chief Charles Hampton told reporters at the scene. Most of the youths had arrived on scooters, he said.
When officers arrived just after 10 p.m., several of the teens were running away from the location. As officers worked to clear the other teens from the area, they found the 14-year-old unresponsive with a gunshot wound, officials said.
“Officers also located two additional juvenile victims with apparent gunshot wounds,” police said.
It is not clear how the brawl started, but police said several of the teens present were involved in the fight.
“Somehow, there was some type of gunfire that erupted, striking three juveniles,” Hampton said.
The 14-year-old was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died. The two other victims, ages 14 and 15, were taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston with minor injuries, Hampton said.
The 17-year-old was taken to police headquarters in Atlanta, Hampton said.
“Right now we are trying to interview him to see what his involvement is,” he said.
The incident remains under investigation. Police believe that due to the number of people present, the brawl might have been captured on video.
“We know there were a lot of people,” Hampton said. “We believe there may be video out there of the fight, so we are asking anyone that has any footage of the fight to contact Atlanta police homicide.”
Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
“We are hoping these kids who were out here will do the right thing and call Crime stoppers — where they can remain anonymous — and just let us know what was occurring,” Hampton said.
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