ATLANTA — The year just started and according to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, it's already been a violent one after three children younger than six years old have been shot.
Dickens made his remarks after a 6-month-old was shot and killed Monday near Atlanta's Anderson Park.
The mayor arrived at the crime scene emphasizing the infant was the third young child shot under the age of six within the city limits this year.
"The children are bearing the brunt and losing their lives because adults are unable to settle their disputes without going to guns," Dickens said.
Here's what we know about the three incidents.
6-month-old killed near Atlanta's Anderson Park
Atlanta Police were called to a shooting at 202 Anderson Ave NW by the Dixie Hills neighborhood on Jan. 24.
APD's police chief said two people were shooting at each other and the 6-month-old was caught in the crossfire. The infant was taken to Grady Hospital, where the baby died, according to police.
Police said their priority continues to be to identify the two people involved in the gunfire that ended the 6-month-old's life.
1-year-old shot in the head, APD says
A 1-year-old child was shot in the head by another child, who found an unsecured gun at a home on Harwell Road in northwest Atlanta on Jan. 12, according to authorities.
Police said family members and other individuals were in the home at the time of the shooting but said witness statements were not adding up.
The baby was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta where they underwent surgery and remain in critical condition, police said. The 1-year-old died three days later from the gunshot wound.
Last week, the 1-year-old's mother was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after the children found the gun in the home.
5-year-old struck during Atlanta drive-by shooting
A 5-year-old was hurt in a shooting on Jan. 19 by Venetian Hills Apartments, according to Atlanta Police.
Officers arrived at 1829 Campbellton Rd SW near Cajun Seafood Market to find a child had been grazed by a bullet, according to APD.
Authorities said the child was taken to a nearby hospital alert, conscious and breathing. The child survived, police said.
Investigators said the incident started with two different drivers in two separate vehicles who were shooting at one another. The child was a passenger in an un-related third vehicle and was struck by random gunfire, authorities said.
In an update, police said two individuals were arrested on the scene in connection to the incident.
Mayor says it keeps happening
During a news conference Monday, Dickens also mentioned recent shootings that killed young children still feels fresh, despite this year's prevalent crime.
The mayor alluded to the death of Jakari Dillard. The 17-year-old was shot and killed at Anderson Park pool in July 2021, not far from where the infant was killed.
Dickens also referenced a 7-year-old who was murdered near Buckhead's Phipps Plaza in December 2020 and a Fourth of July shooting that killed an 8-year-old child that same year.
"I'm demanding that it stops," he said. "We're going to put an end to it."