The boy shot by police at a Six Flags in Georgia on opening night was also shot in a drive-by shooting two weeks earlier.
Syere Littlefield, 15, who was left in critical condition after the amusement park shooting, was among 500 to 600 teenagers who ran through the park Saturday night after a series of fights.
Police said Littlefield was also shot during a drive-by shooting on February 17 on Lavender Lane in South Fulton, Georgia, near I-85. He suffered a minor injury and no one has been arrested in connection with that incident.
“It is my understanding that Mr. Littlefield was listed as a victim in that incident,” Lt. Jubal Rogers, a spokesman for the South Fulton Police Department, told reporters. AL.com.
Littlefield remains in the intensive care unit at Grady Memorial Hospital after the group of angry teenagers ran out of the park and caused further chaos. Authorities said they shot Littlefield after he fired at officers.
It is unclear whether there is a connection between the drive-by and the shooting at the amusement park.
Syere Littlefield, 15, who was shot at a Six Flags in Georgia on Saturday, was also shot in a drive-by on February 17
Littlefield, who was left in critical condition by police after the shooting. Authorities said he shot at police as he fled the amusement park with hundreds of others after a series of fights
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Littlefield fired shots at officers before they fired back at him, and a gun was found on him at the scene.
He has been charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm under the age of 18, according to Cobb County police.
Videos of the dangerous scene have emerged on social media, showing hundreds of teenagers running for their lives after gunshots are heard in the park.
A compilation of some of the footage showed several fights breaking out during the park’s opening day. The final scene shows the struggle to the exit after the gunfight.
Officers discovered where the shots came from and chased the suspects into the woods. At one point, an officer fired his weapon, hitting Littlefield.
The incident is now under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and has sparked a wave of concerns about the park’s safety and disgust at the way the large numbers of teenagers behaved.
Some teens posted videos on social media of the chaos at the amusement park. Officers discovered where the shots came from and chased the suspects into the woods
Patrons rushed for the exits in the evening as the violence at Six Flags continued. Littlefield has been charged in connection with the incident and remains in critical condition
“It’s just the fact that the suspects committing these crimes are younger and younger,” local activist Gerald Rose said Fox5 Atlanta.
‘Summer hasn’t even arrived yet and on the first day of the amusement park someone fifteen years old is shot? “There’s all this gun violence going on and I’m very concerned about where we’re going,” he said.
‘You’re a teenager. You should be playing Atari video games at home. You are committing adult crimes,” Rose added.
Some park visitors were concerned about Six Flags’ ability to protect its customers. One couple said their bags were not checked when they entered the park.
Park officials made it clear that they take guest safety very seriously and “have transitioned from manual baggage checks to Evolv, an advanced security screen system that provides hands-off screening technology to detect metal or other unauthorized objects.”
“It is critical to emphasize that we are prioritizing safety,” they said.
Some teens were captured on video fighting violently on the park’s opening day before gunfire broke out
Cobb police said the park requested their presence in the park that day after fights broke out last year. Six Flags said officers were inside and outside the park that day
Evolv is the same technology used by a number of schools in the Atlanta metro area, as well as much larger venues such as Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Cobb County police said the park requested their presence in the park that day after fights broke out last year.
“Six Flags has requested additional officers to work the park grounds that day. “In addition, the district commander of the area where Six Flags is located arranged for additional officers to patrol the adjacent areas,” police said.
In a statement on Sunday, Six Flags said it had support from law enforcement both inside and outside the park on the day of the shooting.
Michael Owens, the mayor of Mableton, where the park is located, said the incident is “disappointing” and that he plans to hold public safety meetings and work with police to talk about safety protocols.
Police said no officers were injured during the shooting and Littlefield is expected to remain hospitalized for several weeks.