A 12-year-old boy was shot in the chest Tuesday in the parking lot of a Cobb County shopping and entertainment complex.
The child was taken to a hospital following the shooting at the Parkway Pointe complex on Cobb Parkway that houses a bowling alley, movie theater and retail stores, according to Cobb police. He was stable when emergency crews were called to the lot about 11:40 p.m.
A spokesman for Main Event, a nearby bowling alley and arcade, said the shooting did not happen inside the business and surveillance footage suggests those involved were not their guests. Police did not say if any suspects were identified or if investigators have determined what motivated the shooting.
In recent months, teen hangouts and shopping centers across metro Atlanta have been plagued by violence. In February, three teenagers were injured in a shooting at Camp Creek Marketplace in East Point, prompting a citywide curfew. City leaders said it is common for hundreds of unsupervised teenagers to hang out at the shopping center after dark, leading to disputes that escalate to gunfire.
Ten people, mostly teenagers, were arrested later that month on gang-related charges in connection with a Jan. 2 brawl at Arbor Place mall in Douglasville. Another fight at the mall in December resulted in a shooting.
In December, multiple shootings were reported in Buckhead’s shopping district, including the bout of gunfire outside Phipps Plaza that killed a 7-year-old girl who was Christmas shopping with her family.
Another massive fight broke out at Atlantic Station in November involving about 300 unsupervised teenagers.
Tuesday’s shooting remains under investigation.
