Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms claims stray bullet almost hit nephew
Former mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says stray bullet almost hit nephew
ATLANTA - Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is thanking God for protecting her nephew on Saturday.
According to a post on social media, someone fired a gun near her nephew's house. Her nephew was in his bed at the time "inches away."
The former mayor says they are grateful that God protected him and asked gun owners to please act responsibly.
It's not clear if Bottoms' nephew was in her home at the time or someone else. The location of the home is also unknown.
Bottoms lost another nephew -- 18-year-old Darius Bottoms -- to gun violence in 2014.
MORE NEWS ABOUT KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS
Bottoms was shot in his car on June 13, 2014, in a case of mistaken identity.
His murder was recently featured in episode 6 of "The Real Murders of Atlanta" on the Oxygen channel.
Bottoms was most recently employed by the White House Office of Public Engagement. She announced she was leaving her position in February. Bottoms was the 60th mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022. Prior to her 4 years as mayor, she served on the Atlanta City Council.
At one time, Bottoms was under consideration to be Joe Biden's vice presidential nominee in 2020. She was also expected to help Biden with his expected reelection bid in 2024.
Injuries and deaths caused by random and celebratory gunfire has been an issue in metro Atlanta in the past.
In January 2023, a sleeping baby was almost struck when someone sprayed the baby's family's home in Lithonia.
A visiting doctor from England was fatally hit by random gunfire while in bed in a Brookhaven apartment in January 2022.
The first lady of Temple of Faith Ministries, Lashunda Ellison, was killed in October 2022 when a stray bullet hit her as she slept.
In 2018, a 10-year-old girl was asleep in her bed at the Oak Forest apartments in DeKalb County when she was wounded.