COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Mableton's mayor, Michael Owens, and other city leaders met to discuss public safety after a 15-year-old was critically injured near Six Flags Over Georgia after being shot by an officer following alleged gunfire.
While the meeting was closed to the public, a news conference was held afterward to discuss what occurred.
"This meeting today is really about coming together with business leadership, the City of Mableton, and county (Cobb) resources to talk about the challenges we have," Owens said afterward.
While no official details on safety were announced, the meeting served as a symbolic gesture, letting the public know that Mableton leaders, along with law enforcement from Cobb County and Six Flags itself, are coming together to prevent further incidents.
"This is not just a Six Flags issue," Mayor Owens said afterward. "This is an issue we want to encompass for the entire city and this part of the county."
At the news conference, officials noted recommendations made to help keep families visiting the park safe. However, none of those suggestions were ever specified.
What was discussed, over and over, by not only the mayor but also the Cobb County Sheriff's Office and Police Department was a "partnership" between each other and the community as a whole.
Background on the incident
The Cobb County Police Department said officers responded to assist Six Flags security around 6:15 p.m. on March 2 as a crowd of 500 to 600 were "running through the park and fighting." Officers could follow the crowd out of the park onto Six Flags Parkway near South Service Road.
Around this location, a 15-year-old was shot by an officer after multiple people began shooting at police, with gunfire hitting an unoccupied Cobb County Police car, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The teen was rushed to Grady Hospital, where he is in critical condition, the GBI said.
Cobb Police said the teen would face several charges in connection with the incident, including aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm under 18 and interference with government property.
This is not the first time an incident has occurred at the theme park during its season-opening day. 11Alive previously reported on March 4, 2023, nearly one year from Saturday's shooting, young people were kicked out of Six Flags for "inappropriate behavior" on the opening day.
Voters in the southern part of Cobb County chose to ratify and create the new City of Mableton in November 2022, and according to its website, it is now the largest city in the county. The cityhood included parts of unincorporated Smyrna and Austell, putting Six Flags under its jurisdiction.