ATLANTA — Following the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old in Atlanta on Saturday night, the Atlanta Police Department on Monday penned a lengthy statement on Facebook in response to juvenile crime in the city.
"Juvenile Crimes: Car Jackings, Shootouts, Robberies, Accidental Homicides, Truancy, Repeat Violators-Who Is Responsible?" the department wrote.
The shooting near the Atlanta Fair that killed Joshua Adetunji on Saturday, is the latest shooting death of a child in Atlanta this year.
In January, a 1-year-old was shot and killed by another child in the Collier Heights neighborhood. According to APD, the children were left unattended with a gun.
In late February, 9-year-old Kemoni Mack was killed and police later arrested a 16-year-old and charged the teen with Mack's death.
The department's 700-plus word Facebook post mentions that there have been too many recent incidents of children being killed in avoidable shootings where negligent adults played a role.
The post also describes incident after the incident taking place of children committing other crimes in the city and becoming repeat offenders.
The statement reads, "As much as our agency and our officers want to help people and the underlying crime social issues, while chasing down bad actors, it is not reasonable or possible. Others in the community need to step up."
Atlanta Police called out parents, extended families, churches, non-profit organizations, county agencies, celebrities with platforms and resources, and others who claim to care about the city, crime, and children, as needing to step up and do their part.
"You have to get the buy-in from communities," criminologist Thaddeus Johnson recently told 11Alive during an interview about overall crime in Atlanta and recent increases in certain types of crimes, including homicides.
Johnson said the pandemic has made people more desperate and services have been cut back, leaving criminals with fewer options.
"This is not an issue police can solve on their own," Johnson said. "You can't solve crimes without the help of the public. But there's such a rift right there. Who's getting caught in the middle? Victims, survivors, and their families."
Atlanta Police ended its post writing "Crime reduction, gun safety, and community safety are everyone’s responsibility. It is imperative that everyone understands their assignment, and do their part. Policing is just one aspect of the overall issue."
While APD alluded to preventing crime as the preferred outcome, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said arresting children is sometimes an unfortunate part of the solution.
"No one wants to put a child in juvenile for trying to survive on the street," Bryant told reporters during an interview in February. "But when they're in violation of the law and impacting citizens coming in the city, we have to do something."