A shooting at a Gwinnett County shopping center left a 16-year-old boy dead and a 17-year-old girl injured Wednesday evening, according to police.
Gwinnett officers said they responded to the parking lot of the La Mexicana Supermarket at 745 Beaver Ruin Road, just outside Lilburn, around 7:30 p.m. and found the girl with a gunshot wound. She was described as stable and taken to a hospital.
Investigators later discovered that a second victim, Ryan Rodriguez Romero of Peachtree Corners, had also been shot, police said in a statement. He drove himself away from the scene, and his vehicle was found a short distance away on Vernon Street. Romero was pronounced dead inside the car, police said.
The shopping plaza also houses several other businesses and restaurants, including a barber shop and an event hall. The Atlanta All Nations Seventh-day Adventist Church is just on the other side of the plaza.
On Thursday afternoon, shattered vehicle glass was still strewn in the parking lot and evidence markers were still at the scene, Channel 2 Action News footage showed.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett police detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
About the Author
