After an 8-year-old girl was fatally shot near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed by a police officer, Atlanta’s mayor gave a harsh rebuke of the armed protesters that have taken the place over.
“You shot and killed a baby,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. “And there wasn’t just one shooter, there were at least two shooters.”
In an evening news conference, Bottoms demanded that the people who have been seen carrying long guns near the University Avenue restaurant leave the area.
“If you want to be a part of a solution and not the problem, you need to clear out of that area,” she said.
» READ: The text of Mayor Bottoms' address
The strong words follow the death of Secoriea Turner, who was shot while sitting in a car across the street from Wendy’s parking lot.
Former Officer Garrett Rolfe shot Brooks in the restaurant’s parking lot last month, leading to a slew of protests across the city.
“Following the death of Rayshard Brooks, there have been a number of protests in the area, and there has been a problem with protesters closing the streets off,” Bottoms said.
Credit: SCOTT TRUBEY/ AJC.COM
Credit: SCOTT TRUBEY/ AJC.COM
Atlanta police last week said they had removed the barriers from the street outside the restaurant.
“Last night, I received a notice the barriers were back up about 45 minutes before I got the message that Secoriea was killed,” Bottoms said.
The girl was riding in a car with her mother and an adult friend on I-75/85 when they exited onto University Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said.
The driver tried to turn into a parking lot in the 1200 block of Pryor Road but was confronted by a “group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance,” Chafee said.
“At some point, someone in that group opened fire on the vehicle, striking it multiple times and striking the child who was inside,” he said. The driver took the child to Atlanta Medical Center, Chafee said.
Bottoms beseeched anyone with information about the fatal shooting to come forward.
"An 8-year-old girl was killed last night because her mother was riding down the street," Bottoms said. "If Secoriea was not safe last night, none of us are safe."
To the armed people at the restaurant, the mayor said: “It's over.”
Police are seeking the public’s help in finding the suspects in the case. Information on the case can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com.
A flyer provided by the police department indicated a $10,000 reward was set up for this case.
Credit: AJC
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