ATLANTA — It was a violent night across Atlanta as four people were hurt in unrelated shootings over just a two-hour period on Wednesday, police say. One victim was just 6-years-old.
Around 8:45 p.m., officers were called to a location off Smith Street in southwest Atlanta. When they arrived, they located the 6-year-old boy shot in the hand. He was taken to the hospital. Police are investigating what happened.
At around 8:15 p.m., police said a man was standing in the parking lot of an apartment complex off Delowe Drive in southwest Atlanta when he heard gunshots. He then realized he had been shot in the back. He was taken to the hospital alert, conscious and breathing, officers said.
A woman was shot in the leg around 7:45 p.m. at a location off Abner Place in northwest Atlanta. She was taken to the hospital and is listed in stable condition. They are working to investigate the circumstances around the incident.
At 7 p.m., police said a man was shot by a juvenile after the victim confronted a group of kids trespassing on a construction site on La France Street in northeast Atlanta. One of the juveniles pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots, police said, striking the victim once in the hip. They said the juveniles were able to run away from the location.
Law enforcement across metro Atlanta came together earlier in the day to discuss solutions to the uptick in crime and how they can help each other. Atlanta Police hosted the roundtable. Data showed the City of Atlanta in particular has had a violent start to 2022.
According to Atlanta Police statistics, as of Feb. 5, homicides were up 64 percent from this time a year ago.