Crime & Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety

Youth suicides in Georgia rise sharply

JUNE 7, 2017 WINDER Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith talks about the investigation into the suicide of a 9-year-old boy in May. In less than two months, 14 children in Georgia have killed themselves, a disturbing number that suggests a record. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC

Credit: Kent Johnson

Credit: Kent Johnson

JUNE 7, 2017 WINDER Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith talks about the investigation into the suicide of a 9-year-old boy in May. In less than two months, 14 children in Georgia have killed themselves, a disturbing number that suggests a record. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC
By Rhonda Cook
June 12, 2017

On a late Wednesday afternoon in May, a 9-year-old boy stepped off his Barrow County school bus, walked into his house, took a gun from the closet and shot himself in the head.

The third grader in the small community of Winder, nestled between Atlanta and Athens, became the 16th child in Georgia to kill himself since the beginning of February.

Georgia is on track for what could be a record number of youth suicides this year. Read the full story at myajc.com

In less than two months, 14 children in Georgia have killed themselves, a disturbing number that suggests a record.

About the Author

Rhonda Cook
More Stories

The Latest

(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC | Source: Getty, Unsplash)

Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC

Homicides down, police staffing up heading into Atlanta’s elections

Cobb mother gets 50 years in prison for toddler’s fentanyl death

Georgia judge resigns after Florida strip club arrest

Featured

Tracy Woodard from InTown Cares (left) and Lauren Hopper from Mercy Care organization work with residents at the Copperton Street encampment in August 2024. (Miguel Martinez / AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

‘Worst nightmares come true.’ Atlanta confronts shift in homelessness funding.

Trump’s overhaul threatens permanent housing for an estimated 600 Atlanta households and 170,000 people nationwide, advocates warn.

Microsoft’s newest AI ‘superfactory’ opens at sprawling Fayetteville campus

One of the largest data center campuses under construction in Georgia has its first operational tenant, and it’s one of the most recognizable names in technology.

Atlanta officials quietly rebrand city’s DEI office

The city of Atlanta office overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion is getting a rebrand amid assaults at the federal level on such initiatives.