Authorities in Georgia said a 7-year-old boy was shot and killed while a teenager was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries on the afternoon of April 11.
Officials with the Clayton County Police Department are investigating a double shooting that happened on Lamont Avenue in Conley about 5:40 p.m. Saturday afternoon, police spokeswoman Lt. Cherie West said.
The 18-year-old whose identity was not released by authorities was reported to have been fighting with occupants of a white sedan, who fired shots but managed to flee the scene before police arrived, West told AJC News.
The 7-year-old boy—identified as Gabriel on a GoFundMe page—was struck by a stray bullet while he was upstairs in his bedroom.
“Upon arrival, officers learned there were two shooting victims,” West told AJC News. “Each victim was struck at least one time, with the 7-year-old succumbing to his wounds.”
West told the outlet the boy is not related to the teen and had nothing to do with the conflict between him and the occupants of the white sedan.
Gabriel’s family told Fox5 the boy was a second-grader at Anderson Elementary School.
The boy is described on GoFundMe as a “very happy boy,” with his death leaving a big gap in his family’s life.
“It’s always devastating for a young child to lose their life when it had nothing to do with the situation going on just being a bystander in their home feeling free,” Clayton County Police Capt. Frank Thomas told Fox5.
The suspects have not been apprehended yet and police said they will speak with the hospitalized teen to get more information on their identities.
Authorities said this is currently an active investigation and are asking anyone who may have information on the shooting to contact them.
Conley is located along the northern border of Clayton County in Georgia, about 29 miles from Lawrenceville.
