Five-year-old injured in Douglas Co. deputy shooting: Ben Crump hired

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The parents of a five-year-old girl injured in a shooting involving a Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) deputy on Sunday night have retained civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Bakari Sellers. The incident occurred during an attempted carjacking at a BP gas station on Fulton Industrial Boulevard. 

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) reported that the child, Skylar Adams, was in a BMW with her mother, Aaliyah Adams, and another adult when 25-year-old Mike Palmer attempted to carjack the vehicle while fleeing from police. During the pursuit, a DCSO deputy fired into the car, striking the child in the backseat. Palmer was apprehended, and the injured child was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The name of the deputy involved has not been released, and the GBI is investigating the incident.

ORIGINAL STORY: Child injured by gunfire after high-speed chase, attempted carjacking in Fulton County

"I don’t know what action movie this deputy thought he was in, but that kind of callous disregard for basic safety gets innocent people killed in the real world," said Crump. "Recklessness and negligence aren’t strong enough to describe what he did. He is a clear danger and he must be held accountable."

"As a father, I can’t imagine what these parents are going through," said Sellers. "We’re talking about an innocent little girl whose life is never going to be the same because the deputy who should have been protecting her shot her instead. If that doesn’t make you sick to your stomach then nothing will."

The attorneys are calling for the immediate dismissal of the deputy involved and have urged Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds to take action. They also confirmed that Adams and her family are cooperating fully with the GBI investigation and are exploring additional legal options, including a potential civil lawsuit.