An 8-year-old has died after he was shot Saturday night at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex.

The boy was found with a single gunshot wound when officers responded to the Brentwood Heights complex on Alison Court around 10:15 p.m. He was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injures, Atlanta police said.

He was identified by his family as Kayden Jones, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Family members and neighbors gathered at the apartments Sunday night to release balloons in Kayden’s honor, with some of the youngest community members donning Spider-Man masks in honor of the 8-year-old’s favorite superhero, according to the news station.

Neighbor Stevie Rogers said the family had just moved to Atlanta. Kayden will be buried in Florida, Channel 2 reported.

“He had a good, humble spirit and everything. Little baby,” Rogers told Channel 2. “I’m thankful to God that he did let us meet the baby. And the family, they’re hardworking parents. They took care of their kids.”

Atlanta police have not released any details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, which remains under investigation Monday. It was not clear if Kayden was the intended target of the gunfire.

At least 20 children and teenagers have been killed in metro Atlanta shootings this year. Kayden is among the youngest victims.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A Home Depot logo sign hands on its facade in North Miami, Fla. The Vinings-based company plans to acquire specialty building products distributor GMS Inc. (AP FILE 2021)

Credit: AP

Featured

In 2022, Georgia Power projected its winter peak electricity demand would grow by about 400 megawatts by 2031. Since then, Georgia has experienced a boom of data centers, which require a large load of electricty to run, and Georgia Power's recent forecast shows peak demand growing by 20 times the 400-megawatt estimate from just three years ago. (Illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC)

Credit: Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC