Georgia police announced the arrest of the suspect involved in a gunfight near a school in Atlanta that resulted in the death of a six-month-old baby who was struck by a stray bullet while riding a car with his mother.
City officials identified the suspect as 22-year-old Dequasie Little who officers tracked down less than a day after the shooting. During a press conference, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said that authorities involved in the hunt for the shooter included the city's police, its gang unit, the Georgia State Patrol, the U.S. Marshalls, and community residents.
6-Month-Old Infant Killed
Bryant condemned the crime that he called a "pandemic" of violence that he argued was taking place within the city. In his remarks, the police chief said that he was furious that the incident occurred at all. The official noted that authorities were put in a place where violence in major cities and across the United States has gotten out of control.
Authorities also identified the infant victim as Grayson Matthew Fleming-Gray who was riding in the backseat of a vehicle driven by his mother. The incident resulted in a stray bullet piercing through the trunk of the car in broad daylight and hitting him. Reports said that the vehicle was stopped due to two other cars engaged in a gun battle in the open streets, The Daily Beast reported.
Officials noted that the horrific incident is the third time that a child has been shot in the city this year alone. It was also at least the second fatal shooting that involved a stray bullet in the Atlanta area in the last nine days.
Bryant noted that he would not cheerlead the Atlanta police's arrest of the suspect in a short period of time. Officials found the suspect in Decatur, located just east of Atlanta after the incident. Authorities revealed that Little will be facing felony murder and aggravated assault charges over what police officials referred to as a drive-by incident.
Gun Violence
Currently, it remains unclear whether or not Little has obtained an attorney to represent him in the case. The Atlanta police chief said that they were confident that Little was the shooter in the horrible death of the six-month-old infant. He added that they will continue to look for the other suspects involved in the shooting, CNN reported.
Authorities reported that the incident occurred on Monday shortly before 2:40 p.m. at a convenience store near a school that was roughly 4.5 miles west of downtown. Bryant noted that the gunfight was between two people involved in gun violence and that the child was an innocent victim.
The Atlanta police chief noted that tips and support from the community helped authorities locate Little and arrest him less than 24 hours after the incident. Bryant added that as a community, the city of Atlanta cannot just leave the case on the shoulders of the police department or the DA's office or the Mayor's office or government as a whole. Bryant argued that it would take the help of every resident to stop the foolishness that was observed within the city, People reported.
Related Article:
'Significant' Cyber Attack Hits Canadian Foreign Ministry, Causes Widespread Network Disruption
