Police: 1 arrested, 1 on the run for deadly shooting on 7-year-old girl
ATLANTA - Atlanta police have made an arrest and are searching for another suspect in the deadly shooting of 7-year-old girl at an apartment complex in the city's Sweet Auburn neighborhood Saturday night.
According to authorities, Ava Phillips was killed by a stray bullet that struck her in the head after an argument escalated to gunfire at a family gathering inside Camden Vantage apartments just after 10:15 pm.
"Any death is tragic but when there's a child involved, it really hits home," said Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr.
Monday morning, homicide detectives say they identified the suspects in the shooting as 23-year-old Deshon Collins and 44-year-old Kemeka Springfield.
Investigators say Springfield is currently in custody charged with aggravated assault of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Collins is still on the run with warrants out for his arrest for murder, cruelty towards children, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Ava’s father told FOX 5 her family is devastated by the sudden loss.
"This is just unbearable pain…the worst thing imaginable," Jonathan Phillips said.
Ava Phillips (Courtesy of the family)
Phillips told FOX 5 when he dropped his son and daughter off to stay with their mom for the weekend, he didn’t think that would be the last time he saw his little girl alive.
"We got a call last night … they were frantic saying she had been shot in the head," the grieving father recalled.
He said he rushed to the scene to pick up his son while medics rushed Ava to a nearby hospital, but she had already succumbed to her injuries.
"She was a good girl man, the baby girl man … I got three boys … that was my baby girl," he said of his youngest daughter.
Ava Phillips (Courtesy of the family)
Heartbroken family members gathered Sunday evening to comfort one another following the loss. Phillips described Ava as the "boss" of their family and said she loved to travel and try new restaurants.
"Love and cherish your kids. She was 7. She would’ve been 8 in January," he said.
Phillips shared that sobering message to other parents in the midst of a disturbing pattern of gun violence in Atlanta where children have been the victims.
APD has not released any additional information about the suspected shooter, but did say they were told a man left the scene shortly after the shooting Saturday night. They’re still working to determine his involvement.
If you have any information about the shooting, contact Crime Stoppers.