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Suspect arrested in shooting at Athens shopping plaza that injured girls in dance class

Officials said 38-year-old Rasheed Scott was arrested Thursday for his involvement in the shooting.

ATHENS, Ga. — Editor's Note: The above video is from a previous version of this story.

Athens Clarke County Police have announced an official arrest in a shooting that injured two children, one being shot in the eye at a shopping plaza while in dance class.

Officials said 38-year-old Rasheed Scott was arrested in Gwinnett County Thursday for his involvement in the shooting. According to the police report, police "detained two people and transported them for questioning," but they were later released. 

Credit: Clarke County Sheriff's Office
Rasheed Scott

The shooting happened on Wednesday evening at 494 North Avenue. 

A 5-year-old girl, Ne'vaeh Brown, was shot in her eye. Brown's mother spoke with 11Alive's Cody Alcorn on Thursday, and family members said the bullet split her eye, possibly causing her to need a transplant. 

Authorities also said that a 14-year-old girl was shot in her arm. Both of the girls were taken to the hospital. 

Family members of one of the girls said they were warming up in class at the dance studio when a shooting broke out outside a nearby barbershop. Brown's mother was parking her car when the shooting happened.

Brown underwent one surgery on Wednesday night and is expected to have a second surgery on Friday. It's unclear how badly her eye is damaged, according to family members.

Credit: Provided
5-year-old Ne’vaeh Brown was shot in the eye by a stray bullet that came through a window while at dance practice on Wednesday in Athens

Surveillance video from a nearby business showed the exact moments of the shooting. Reports said that an argument occurred between a group of people, causing a shootout. The shooting appears to have happened in the shopping plaza's parking lot near the Piggly Wiggly.

Two people were "detained for questioning" on the scene after the responding officer saw them on the video camera. The police report stated that the two people were charged, but authorities later clarified they were released shortly after.

Scott was charged with Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime.  

Police are still investigating the incident and are actively looking for other people who might be involved. 

 Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the detective at 762-400-7060.

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