Multiple people, all under the age of 18, were shot and injured Friday evening at a Columbus gas station after a dispute at a party, police said.
The incident happened at a Shell along Warm Springs Road shortly after 10 p.m. Police said a large group was gathered outside the gas station when authorities got to the scene. Nine people were shot and taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, according to police.
“Last night’s events, as identified by the chief, I think are particularly horrific and particularly troubling and it’s because of the number of and ages of the individuals involved,” Mayor Skip Henderson said during a Saturday press conference.
The victims included:
- Boy, 5
- Boy, 12
- Girl, 13
- Girl, 13
- Boy, 13
- Boy, 14
- Boy, 15
- Boy, 15
- Boy, 17
Columbus police Chief Freddie Blackmon said that an altercation took place at a party, which appears to have taken place at a warehouse, and that dispute continued into the area of the gas station, where gunfire occurred.
Authorities said they are unsure if any of the parents of the children who attended the party were present at the gas station at the time of the shooting. Blackmon said the 5-year-old victim was in the area of the Shell with a family member and not at the party.
No information on a suspect has been released, but police confirmed that an arrest had not been made as of Saturday morning.
“The rash of gun violence involving our youth is impacting communities across the country,” Blackmon said. “While Columbus is not immune to these incidents, I want to assure citizens that the men and women of CPD are tirelessly working to get violent offenders off our streets. It is going to take a community effort to combat gun violence in our city. The entire village has a responsibility because incidents like this impacts all of us.”
In metro Atlanta, at least five teenagers were shot this weekend.
Three teens were injured in a shooting in Brookhaven on Friday evening, police said. Authorities added that those involved appeared to have known each other prior to the incident.
In southwest Atlanta, two teens were shot near an event space after the business was closed for the night, Atlanta police said.
Anyone with information on the shooting in Columbus is asked to call detective E. Rosado at 706- 225-3162. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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