9-year-old boy shot while sleeping during Atlanta drive-by
9-year-old shot while sleeping lives to tell the story
A 9-year-old boy in Atlanta survived being shot while sleeping. He told FOX 5 Atlanta he had no idea that he was hearing gunshots, and cried through the pain. FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Eric Mock interviewed him and his frightened family.
ATLANTA - A nine-year-old boy is already back home recovering after he was hit during a drive-by shooting at his home in Atlanta.
What we know:
Atlanta police officers responded to a home on Meadowlane Circle at around 4 a.m. Saturday.
Officials told FOX 5 Atlanta the preliminary investigation showed there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and the victims. As a result, a young boy sustained gunshot wounds.
According to surveillance video from a neighbor's home obtained by FOX 5, two cars pulled up to the front of the home at around 3:45 a.m.
Surveillance footage shows Atlanta drive-by shooting: RAW
A 9-year-old boy was shot while sleeping during a drive-by shooting in Atlanta. A neighbor's surveillance camera caught the violent ordeal on tape.
Several people got out of the cars, and started shooting into the home.
Many bullet holes could be seen throughout the front of the house Saturday.
The aunt of the boy who was shot said her husband was in the driveway at the time of the shooting, and fired back at the suspects to try and defend the home.
"My husband did return fire," the aunt said. "We're not sure if he hit anybody."
She told FOX 5 that she went to go check on her nephew after the gunfire ceased.
"My nephew, he was on the ground and I asked if he was okay, and he was bleeding from his back," she said.
A young boy caught in the crossfire
FOX 5 Atlanta spoke with the 9-year-old shooting victim in his home Saturday.
"I was asleep," he said.
He said he had no idea what was going on when he was shot in his own bed.
"I was just crying because I was bleeding, and I didn’t know they were gunshots," he said.
His aunt says they rushed him to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta immediately after the shooting.
Doctors there were not yet able to remove the bullet from his body.
"And they said the bullet had went through his back and into his leg and the bullet is located close to a large artery, and if they removed it then he might not be able to walk. So, they have to give it a couple of weeks to monitor the bullet traveling so they can see if they can get him some surgery," his aunt said.
What they're saying:
The boy’s aunt says she was told by some neighbors that they believe the shooters got the wrong house.
They mentioned another home nearby that had been the center of some recent incidents.
"Our house and the other house are identical," she said.
Police have not yet confirmed whether this was the case.
What we don't know:
Police have not yet released any information about the suspects at large. Investigators told FOX 5 "we are in the process of actively working to identify a suspect(s)."
The Source: Information for this story came from the Atlanta Police Department, interviews with victims conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Mock and surveillance video obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta.