Girl, 16, is shot dead and boy the same age is wounded during a dispute at a school in Atlanta
Girl, 16, is shot dead and boy the same age injured in Atlanta school graduation dispute
- Police said the shooting broke out amid a confrontation with an unauthorized party
- Officers found a 16-year-old girl who had been shot before being rushed to hospital
A 16-year-old girl was shot dead and a boy the same age was injured after an argument broke out at an Atlanta high school graduation party.
Police said they were dealing with the incident that broke out near Benjamin E Mays High School in southwestern Atlanta after a confrontation around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Bre’asia Powell, 16, was found at the scene and rushed to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
A 16-year-old boy, whose identity was not known, was taken to hospital by ambulance. His condition is reportedly stable.
Atlanta police confirmed they are investigating the shooting, which allegedly broke out during a confrontation at an unauthorized graduation party in the school’s parking lot.
Bre’asia Powell, 16, was found at the scene and rushed to hospital where she was later found dead
Police say they are dealing with the incident that erupted near Benjamin E Mays High School in southwestern Atlanta after a confrontation around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning
Officers initially received reports of a person shot outside the school on Sunday morning. The incident is believed to have started after a confrontation at the school’s graduation party earlier in the evening.
Officers found a 16-year-old girl shot before she was rushed to hospital, where she later died. Bre’asia Powell was confirmed as the victim by the Fulton County Medical Examiner.
Some time later, a 16-year-old boy presented to a hospital with a gunshot wound. He has not been identified by the police.
The police cannot confirm whether there are any other victims or whether any suspects have been arrested. Officers have also not confirmed how many people were at the unauthorized party.
Atlanta Public Schools subsequently released a statement following the incident: “According to Atlanta police, two teens were shot during an unauthorized gathering at the end of the Benjamin E. Mays High School’s sloping driveway early Sunday morning.
“One has died and one is being treated at a local hospital.
The rally took place after a graduation party at another location in the community was broken up by the Atlanta Police Department a few hours earlier. Please contact the Atlanta Police Department for more information.”
A friend of the victim’s family told Fox5, “There were no prior altercations leading up to this shooting. There was nothing that Bre’Asia did to cause this, to bring about this, to fuel this.
“This was an unfortunate tragedy that shook a circle of family and friends to its foundations.”
Atlanta police said they are investigating the shooting, which is believed to have erupted during a confrontation at an unauthorized graduation party in the school’s parking lot
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, the Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent and the School Police held a press conference on Sunday to provide details of the incident.
Dickens, a former student of the high school where the shooting took place, said he spoke to Ms. Powell’s mothers and the unknown 16-year-old.
He told the press conference that teens need to make better decisions, such as going home at a certain time of night and the need for parents to be involved in their children’s lives.
The mayor also said Ms. Powell would start working for the city this week as part of the youth employment program.
Police said it is still unknown who fired the shots and the exact details leading up to the shooting, as the investigation is still ongoing.