A 16-year-old girl was killed, and a 16-year-old boy was wounded by gun fire at a shooting that occurred near Benjamin E Mays High School in southwest Atlanta. Estimates time the shooting at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning. As reported, “Atlanta Police say there was a confrontation during a graduation party in the school’s parking lot prior to the shooting.”
Hours after the shooting, the Fulton County Medical Examiner identified the 16-year-old as Bre’Asia Powell. She was found at the scene and transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced deceased. The 16-year-old boy was also transported by ambulance to a hospital and is “reportedly stable. His exact condition is unknown” and, as of current reporting, has not been identified.
Davida Huntley, a friend of the Powell family is quoted as stating: “There were no prior altercations that led to this shooting. There was nothing that Bre’Asia did to cause this, to bring this about, to incite this.” Huntley added: “This was an unfortunate tragedy that has shaken a family and friends circle to its core.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is quoted as describing the overnight shooting as an “unauthorized graduation party.” No definition is offered that describes an unauthorized versus authorized graduation party and no information is provided detailing who does the authorizing of graduation parties. “No one has been arrested at this time and police have not released any information about a possible suspect.”
The mayor and others held a press conference on Sunday afternoon to discuss the incident. Dickens said he spent “the morning talking to the mothers of the young girl who was killed and the 16-year-old boy who is currently hospitalized.” Dickens helpfully talked about “the need for teenagers to make better decisions, which means going home after a certain time of night and not looking for the next thing to do.” Dickens also “talked about the need for parents to monitor their children and be involved in their lives.”
Coincidentally, Dickens, had attended the high school where the shooting took place, and disclosed that Bre’Asia Powell was to start working for the City of Atlanta on Tuesday as part of its youth employment program. “Dickens recently declared it the Year of the Youth and the City will be offering teens a variety of activities this summer to keep them occupied and off of the streets.”
