Two suspects have been arrested — including a 15-year old — in connection to a shooting that left nine children injured in Georgia.
The shooting occurred at a gas station in Columbus, Georgia, near the Alabama state line.
Both suspects were arrested on Friday, with one being described by police as a "validated gang member," according to the Associated Press. Seven teenagers and two younger children suffered gunshot wounds in the attack.
Police have not released the image or name of the teenage suspect because he is a minor. The "validated gang member" has been detained at a youth detention centre and charges with one count of aggravated assault, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
D'Angelo Robinson Sr, 35, was also arrested, and has been booked into the Muscogee County Jail and charged with eight counts of aggravated assault.
The confrontation reportedly initially began at a nearby party, and carried over to the attack at the gas station, according to Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon. The gunfire broke out just after 10pm, according to police. Mr Blackmon said during a press conference the incident is still under investigation, and that further details were not immediately available.
Police said the youngest victim in the shooting wasfive. That victim was not part of the party where the fight began, but was simply in the vicinity of the gas station when the shooting occurred.
Seven of the nine children wounded in the attack have been released from the hospital, according to local broadcaster WTVM. Police noted that they have not been able to contact the families of the two remaining victims.
The city's mayor issued a statement saying he was relieved that there was no loss of life in the incident.
“I’m so grateful to God that we didn’t have anyone lose their life,” B.H. “Skip” Henderson III, the mayor of Columbus, said. “I’m tired of seeing folks having a disagreement or argument or maybe even a fistfight who then think they have to reach for a gun. That’s just got to stop. We’ve got to find a way in the community to reclaim our young people.”
The city of Columbus is located approximately 110 miles (177km) southwest of Atlanta on the Alabama border.
