Unfortunately in the United States, ever since restrictions put in place to ease the spread of COVID-19 have been lifted, the number of violent armed crimes has increased tremendously. A terrifying figure put the number of mass shootings in the country at a total of 272 in this year alone.
In another heinous act of violence, two 15-year-olds in Atlanta have been charged for the shooting of a mall security guard at a popular shopping destination in the Buckhead area of the city on Sunday evening (June 13). The shooting left the security guard in critical condition.
Reports from local news sources confirmed that officers were called to Lenox Square mall after reports of shots fired around 8:30 pm. When responding officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a security guard in his early 40s with a gunshot wound in his torso. Luckily, officers arrived in time and he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Using witness testimonies and statements, officers were able to eventually locate the two suspects at the nearby Westin Buckhead Atlanta hotel. While it’s believed there were others involved in the situation, the two teens were more directly involved in the situation.
The two suspects were eventually detained and indicted on six charges including criminal attempt to commit murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, possession of a firearm by a person under the age of 18 and during the commission of a felony.
“We don’t know the involvement of other folks but we have based at this particular point in time, we were able to confirm that those two individuals were significantly involved and those are the two we have in custody,” said Deputy Chief Timothy Peek.
Authorities added that the investigation is not over and they are currently looking for other people who may have been involved. The teens were detained less than 10 minutes after the incident, and authorities believe they were attempting to get into the closed Apple store. “Ultimately, they approached him with a gun, and so, from there, will tell us what transpired and what was going on,” Peek said.
The victim is currently in the hospital being treated for his injuries.
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