Victim in fatal Atlanta shooting near mall was 12, mayor says

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The victims of a shooting Saturday night near a popular Atlanta shopping destination that left one dead and five injured were all minors, including a 12-year-old boy who was killed, authorities said Sunday.

Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed the ages of the victims at a press conference. according to WXIA, Atlanta’s NBC affiliate. He said some of the victims were Atlanta Public Schools students, WXIA reported. Dickens said one of the injured victims was in critical condition, which police confirmed.

«When a 12-year-old boy dies in our city, on the streets of our city…the whole town has a responsibility and the whole town is affected,» Dickens said. according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Officer Anthony Grant, a representative for the Atlanta Police Department told NBC News that all of the victims involved in the shooting were minors.

Grant said the incident report with the specific ages of the injured victims is still being processed.

No information was immediately available on a possible suspect, Grant said, adding that the incident is still under investigation.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum also said Sunday that everyone involved knew each other, WXIA reported.

The shooting took place on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year near the Atlantic Station outdoor mall, one of the most popular in the city.

Gunshots erupted on an adjacent Downtown Connector freeway overpass near 17th Street after off-duty police and mall staff escorted the teens off the property due to unruly behavior and violations. of the curfew set by the mall, according to WXIA and comments from Atlanta. said police lieutenant Germain Dearlove at a news conference.

Atlantic Station website grades Minors who visit the shopping center must be accompanied by their parents or guardians after 3:00 p.m., and that groups of four or more young people will be «dispersed.»

A witness to the shooting told WXIA that up to 30 shots were heard.

denis romero Y kurt chirbas contributed.

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