17-year-old girl shot in SE Atlanta dies; teen suspect arrested

Jamal Thomas

Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Jamal Thomas

A 17-year-old shot in southeast Atlanta last week has died, and a 19-year-old man has been arrested.

The victim, identified in a police report as Roberta Robinson of Riverdale, was shot in the head in the 200 block of Springside Drive last Wednesday about 4:30 p.m., police said.

The suspect, Jamal Thomas of Atlanta, turned himself in Monday, Atlanta police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said Wednesday in a statement.

Police said Thomas was handling a handgun negligently, causing it to go off. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, Chafee said.

He was denied bond at a Tuesday court appearance, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan said. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 5.

Directly after the shooting, it was initially reported that the victim was 18. Robinson would’ve turned 18 next month, according to the report.

She was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. It is not clear when Robinson died.

Thomas is also facing charges of criminal trespassing and theft from a September 2018 incident, according to county jail records. According to police reports obtained by AJC.com, Thomas was arrested Sept. 20 in connection with a break-in two nights before.

The reports stated that two iPads, a Macbook, a cable box and a camera were stolen from a woman’s home in the 200 block of Moury Avenue in southeast Atlanta. Video footage showed an image of a man with a discernible neck tattoo. Thomas was later spotted near the home and was arrested, officers wrote.

“He admitted to entering (the woman’s) location and taking her iPad,” the report stated. “He stated he pushed the window open with his back, entered the location, and put her iPad in his pants.”

He was released on bond following that arrest, records show.

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