A Clayton County police officer decided to tread carefully over the weekend while responding to a shooting that left a teenage boy dead, according to an incident report obtained Monday.
The officer had been flagged down by one of the victim’s friends Saturday night at a neighborhood clubhouse at the intersection of Paladin Drive and Trafalgar Way near Hampton, where 16-year-old Zion Barrett was found shot in the nearby bushes, the report stated.
“I went around the other side of the clubhouse to ensure no individuals were hiding, in case of a possible ambush,” the officer wrote in the report.
The officer met with a teenage witness, who said he was with Barrett and another friend at the nearby intersection of Starling Trail and Paladin Drive when they saw about five lasers shining from the side of a residence, followed by gunfire. They then ran toward the clubhouse and saw Barrett collapse, according to the report. Soon after, the witness said he called 911.
Nike shoes were found in both the road and bushes where Barrett was located. The teen was taken to the hospital but died there, police said.
The witness said the trio was driven there by his brother after a party was shut down in the Jonesboro Road area of Henry County, according to police. But after being asked what they were doing in the area, the witness said it was because “it was on the way home,” the report stated.
During the investigation, the witness identified the shooter as a person who lived on Starling Trace. But after interviewing that person and his brother, police determined they had no involvement in the incident, the report stated. Police said they noticed that a gray Toyota Camry that was parked in front of the residence had not moved, even though the witness told them the shooter had been traveling in it.
“Officers stood next to the vehicle, no heat was felt coming from the wheel well, indicating that the vehicle had not moved,” the report said.
Police then interviewed the people at the home who told them they heard several gunshots out front and saw three men running toward the clubhouse, the report stated. A black coupe was seen quickly driving away, but the people at the home said they didn’t recognize anyone, police said. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not naming the witness or the people at the home since they have not been charged.
“Officers then conducted a sweep of the outside in an attempt to find shell casings; however, the grass seemed to be undisturbed, and no shell casings were located,” the report stated.
No arrests have been made in the case, and the suspects were listed as “unknown” in the incident report. The investigation is ongoing.
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