Clayton County authorities on Wednesday were still investigating the shooting death of a Charles R. Drew High School student whose body was found in a residential neighborhood in Riverdale.
Clayton Police Chief Michael Register declined to speculate on the death of 17-year-old Cedric Clark, who was found in the backyard of a Riverdale home. The shooting prompted Clayton school officials to put the high school on partial lockdown Wednesday. A crisis team was made available to students and faculty at Drew High.
“I don’t know if it’s gang-related or random,” Register said. “Certainly, it appears the shooting of the young man occurred (Tuesday) night and they found him (Wednesday) morning. There was another young man with him.”
Authorities were interviewing several individuals in connection with the Clark’s killing.
The teenager was last seen alive by his family Tuesday evening when a friend came to his home and asked him to go for a walk, police said. The family became worried when the friend returned to the house later, asking if Clark was home.
Clark’s mother and brother searched for him but did not learn of his fate until Wednesday morning.
Authorities were notified about the shooting after the homeowner where Clark’s body was found called 911.
Clark played football and other sports at Drew and was a member of the school’s ROTC program, his brother Anthony Lewis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday.
Photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
About the Author
