Atlanta, GA – A quiet Thursday evening turned into a nightmare for a southwest Atlanta community after a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot during a drive-by attack, leaving residents shaken and city officials grappling once again with the toll of gun violence on children.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers were dispatched just after 7 p.m. to the 3200 block of Cushman Circle, a typically peaceful residential complex just off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. There, they discovered the boy gravely wounded by gunfire. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but doctors were unable to save him.
Police say the child, whose name has not yet been released pending family notification, was not the intended target. Preliminary findings indicate the gunfire erupted during a dispute between two rival groups—leaving the 12-year-old as an innocent bystander caught in the line of fire.
Another individual was also injured while fleeing the scene, though the severity of their injuries remains unknown.
“This young boy was outside, doing what any child should be free to do—just being a kid,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a somber press briefing late Thursday. “Now, his family is preparing to bury him, and a community is grieving a life taken far too soon.”
No arrests have been made, and authorities have not yet released any suspect descriptions or vehicle details tied to the shooting. Investigators are urging anyone with information to come forward by contacting Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can remain anonymous and may qualify for a reward.
The shooting has reignited longstanding concerns about youth safety in the city. Community leaders and residents are calling for renewed efforts to prevent gun violence—emphasizing the need for youth intervention programs, community policing, and conflict resolution outreach.
Outside the taped-off crime scene Thursday night, neighbors gathered in silence, many with tears in their eyes and candles in their hands.
“He was just a baby,” one resident said, her voice trembling. “Now he’s gone, and we’re left asking why.”
As Atlanta mourns yet another child lost to senseless violence, the search for answers—and justice—continues.