A 22-year-old man involved in a gunfight that resulted in the death of a 6-month-old baby was arrested in west Atlanta Tuesday. Police said the baby was killed by a stray bullet as the man and another suspect had shot at each other on Monday.
The baby was the third child that was shot in Atlanta this month. He was also the second victim of a stray bullet over the past week. A 31-year-old British scientist named Matthew Wilson was killed by a stray bullet while he was inside his apartment in the Atlanta suburb of Brookhaven last week.
Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said even if they had arrested the suspect in record time, he was still unhappy that the incident had occurred in the first place. Police said they arrested a man named Dequasie Little in Decatur just east of Atlanta. The suspect is facing charges of felony murder and aggravated assault.
Bryant said they are confident that Little was one of the shooters, and it will only be a matter of time before they arrest the other person involved. The shooting incident happened Monday afternoon outside a convenience store just 4.5 miles west of downtown Atlanta.
Police said there were only two people involved, and the baby was the only innocent victim. Police have yet to determine what had led to the shooting, which was first reported by a woman who lived nearby that heard gunshots.
Mayor Andre Dickens said the baby was the third child under six years old that was shot dead this year. The first victim was a 1-year-old infant who was accidentally shot by another child who found an unsecured gun in the Collier Heights neighborhood. The child's mother was apprehended and charged with second-degree murder.
The second victim was a 5-year-old child who died from a stray bullet while inside a moving vehicle. Two other vehicles were shooting at each other when a stray bullet hit the child. Dickens said the child had managed to survive, and two suspects were arrested.
Dickens said the children are innocent victims of adults who are unable to settle their disagreements without resorting to violence. He added that this had to stop, and people needed to be more responsible.
The suspect responsible for the death of the second stray-bullet victim has yet to be identified and arrested. Police said the death of the British scientist seems to have been caused by individuals recklessly discharging their firearms.
