ATLANTA — Police are still searching for the gunman who injured five teens and killed a 12-year-old boy in a shooting near Atlantic Station.
Safety is very much a concern for people out in the area Monday.
Atlanta Station said it's doubling the number of off-duty officers patrolling the grounds at the shopping center effective immediately. That's in addition to the 3 p.m. curfew that's already in place.
However, that didn't stop hundreds of teens from gathering on-site over the weekend, where off-duty officers immediately saw the danger.
"Hey guys, we got 26 officers out here. And I’m not seeing you. We got too many juveniles out here for you to be ducking off. Come on, let's get these juveniles out of here before we have an incident," someone said in a radio traffic recording.
Security Radio Traffic from Atlantic Station just before Saturday night’s shooting alerted more than two dozen off-duty Atlanta Police officers that there was a problem on the property.
Atlantic Station released a statement saying officers escorted the teenagers off the property and ordered them to disperse before someone started shooting near Market Street.
12-year-old Zyion Charles was killed. Five other kids were hurt – at last check at least one was still in critical condition.
Police have not publicly identified any suspects. However, in a news conference Sunday, they said they have identified some of the people who were there and will start issuing warrants soon.
Mayor Dickens also called on the community to step up and some local advocates said they're trying.
"We really gotta wrap our arms around these children, because they are hurting. Right now every child knows someone who has been impacted by gun violence, and that's just not the way we were raised. So I think we really gotta wrap our arms around these people," said community advocate Keith Lewis.
He founded 'I'm a Father F1rst', a nonprofit aimed at reducing gun violence among young people.
He said the first step is accountability.
"We have to stop being so scared and hiding behind our phones, so I haven't heard about any actual suspects, all I hear about is pain," he said.
He said he talked to the teacher of one of the girls shot Saturday, and he wants everyone to come together to get answers.
A property manager at Atlantic Station said they want answers too. They said they will start meeting with Atlanta Police regularly until they see a reduction in crime.
You can read Atlantic Stations' full statement below:
Atlantic Station is helping law enforcement in every way possible during the active investigation following the incident on the 17th Street bridge. Atlantic Station is private property and has a 24/7 security team comprised of off-duty Atlanta Police Department officers and Atlantic Station security personnel that strictly enforce the Code of Conduct and curfew on property. Atlantic Station stands behind its security team, and had 26 off-duty police officers and security on staff the night of the incident. After violating the Code of Conduct regulations, the group of juveniles was immediately dispersed and escorted off property to 17th Street where the incident occurred, which is the city of Atlanta’s jurisdiction.
The community's safety continues to be Atlantic Station’s top priority, and Atlantic Station has been working with the APD to enact several increased security measures on property including:
- The number of law enforcement officers on-site has been doubled into the foreseeable future to discourage group gatherings, combat crime and help enforce curfew.
- Atlantic Station is a part of APD's evening watch program, which confirms that active officers must stay within the footprint of Atlantic Station to be ready to respond quickly to any future incidents, as they were able to do as it relates to the overnight incident.
- Ongoing meetings will be scheduled with APD to continue discussions about how to further enhance security at Atlantic Station