A 16-year-old was shot in the back by a gunman trying to steal her hoverboard, say Atlanta police and Channel 2 Action News.
The victim was returning to an apartment along Fairburn Road from a nearby gas station Saturday evening when a man in dark clothing approached her and tried to force his way into the apartment.
The victim threw the hoverboard at the suspect and forced the door shut, at which point the gunman fired a shot through the apartment door. The bullet struck the victim then went through a wall and was found on the stove, according to a released statement from police.
The suspect ran from the location with the hoverboard, and he has not been located, police say. The victim was transported to Grady Hospital in stable condition.
The victim’s uncle told Channel 2 Action News that the bullet went into the girl’s lower back and came out of her side. The victim’s brother Doryan Sanford said his sister was riding the hoverboard she got for Christmas and didn’t realize she was being followed.
“He (the gunman) just said, ‘Give it up,’ and I said, ‘What?’ He pulled out the gun and put it to my face,” Sanford told Channel 2. “I pushed him back. That’s when I tried to close the door and that’s when the bullet came through and hit my sister.”
