'Online dispute' kills 2 minors following shootout in Atlanta apartment

Atlanta: Two teenage boys were shot dead and three others were injured after an ‘online dispute’ lead to a shootout in an Atlanta apartment complex on Saturday, police officials said.

As per reports, police reached the apartment complex situated in the city’s southwest region at around 5 pm. While two victims were pronounced dead, others were admitted for treatment.

Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. told reporters that the dead were two boys, ages 14 and 16, and the wounded included a 15-year-old girl along with two boys, 11 and 15.

“We know that there was some type of dispute on social media that escalated to gunfire,” Hampton said. “One group of individuals came to the apartment with their guns and then the other group fired their weapons.”

He added that since there were ‘multiple people shooting’, the incident can be characterized as a shootout.

He also said the violence began inside an apartment and then carried over outside, which is where two minors were found dead.

Hampton declined to give details of the condition of the wounded minors, other than to say that all had been shot and one of them was grazed by a bullet.

Homicide detectives were interviewing multiple other individuals to determine what involvement they may have had.

“I hate being here talking about kids and gunfire,” Hampton said, lamenting that there are “too many guns in the hands of the youth all over the city.”

“This should be a time that we are getting ready for the holidays, but we have at least two families that will be planning for funerals,” he continued, “and then you may have some other families who were significantly involved
and have to deal with that.”

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