Gunman who shot 11-year-old at skating rink may be a minor, police say
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos told FOX 5 Atlanta’s Portia Bruner the community must not remain silent or try to hide the young gunman who shot at an 11-year-old boy at a skating rink over the weekend.
Chief Ramos said the boy was shot in the head in the parking lot after a fight inside Golden Glide on Wesley Chapel Road.
"It’s a sad day when you can’t just go to a skating rink, have fun and then go home. If someone could do this to an 11-year-old, they can do this to anybody, so it’s important the people who know who did this come forward," said Chief Ramos, who believes the gunman may be a minor as well.
"We’re working some very strong leads, but it would help if someone out there in the public tell us who did this," said Chief Ramos.
Video from the crime scene on social media shows adolescents and teenagers running and screaming in the parking lot as several shots were fired, the police chief said the 11-year-old may have been the subject of the argument or affiliated with the people in the argument.
DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson lives near Golden Glide and said it was heartbreaking to see such a violent crime unfold at a place where families routinely have birthday skating parties for young children and adolescents.
"This is an institution. If you look at the history of Golden Glide, this was a sanctity for families. You came here to skate and have fun and play at, not get shot at. Parents are the first teachers and we’ve all got to do a better job of helping young people with conflict resolution," Johnson said.
Editor's note: This story initially reported the shooting happened overnight Sunday. Police clarified that the shooting actually occurred late Saturday night.