DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County Police have made an arrest, nearly two weeks after an 11-year-old was shot in the head at a Decatur skating rink.
They said a 13-year-old boy was taken into custody on a juvenile warrant at 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
DeKalb sheriff's deputies from the fugitive unit made the arrest.
“While we have the suspect in custody, I am saddened that the lives of both of these children and their families will never be the same,” DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha V. Ramos said.
Ramos said it took days for authorities to first identify a suspect and several more days to then secure an arrest warrant. She said officials only questioned child witnesses alongside parents, who were "very accommodating" amid the investigation.
According to Ramos, the 13-year-old is still being questioned. She said police do not know whether the shooting was targeted and she opted not to speak on whether parents knew the teen had a gun.
The shooting has kept D'Mari Johnson in the hospital with life-threatening injuries since it occurred on April 10.
His family's attorney, Shean Williams, Managing Partner of The Cochran Firm - Atlanta, issued a statement on their behalf saying they're "thankful" for the arrest.
"The family of D'Mari Johnson is thankful that the individual who allegedly shot D'Mari has been identified and arrested. The family extends its gratitude to the DeKalb County Police Dept. and the other agencies who assisted them in their investigation of this horrific crime. We are saddened that a 13-year-old could allegedly perpetrate such a heinous act," the statement reads.
Police said they are not releasing the name of the 13-year-old in custody at this time.
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According to police, a fight inside Golden Glide skating rink spilled outside into the parking lot.
On Monday, family attorneys said the boy has been in a medically induced coma, "literally fighting for his life every day."
D'Mari Johnson’s family showed 11Alive a cell phone video posted on social media earlier in the case. They said they could see D'Mari in white pants and a dark hoodie running with a group of other people across the parking lot. Seconds later, shots are fired.
The grandmother said there was security at the rink -- she just wishes they would've stepped in.
This week, the family spoke out about closing the rink due to alleged ongoing safety concerns.
At the Thursday press conference Ramos responded, saying although the rink hasn't seen any homicides, the business has had several other incidents over the last few years.
An inspection at the skating rink was conducted by the county on Wednesday. On Thursday, DeKalb County Deputy Director of Code Enforcement Tim Hardy revealed Golden Glide received two citations -- one for neglecting to renew a business license and another for a failing retaining wall in the rear of the property.
Hardy said only the court has the power to shut down the business, and the owners will be able to speck to those citations in court on May 3.
11Alive has filed an Open Records Request in pursuit of the inspection results.
Anyone with any information is urged to call DeKalb County Police at 77-724-7850.
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