Five people were shot early Monday when gunfire erupted at a large gathering at a condemned apartment complex in southeast Atlanta, police said.
The shootings took Atlanta police officers to the Forest Cove Apartments in the Thomasville Heights neighborhood shortly before 2 a.m. According to deputy police Chief Charles Hampton Jr., the victims range in age from 13 to 42.
One was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle before officers arrived, and none were interviewed by investigators before undergoing treatment, Hampton said. At least one, an unnamed teenager, remains in “very critical condition,” he said.
“Officers are on scene trying to comb (through) exactly what happened,” Hampton said Monday from the complex. “We know there was quite a large gathering when some individuals came to this location and started shooting. Right now, we are asking anyone who was out here to call Crime Stoppers, where they can remain anonymous, to let us know exactly what happened.”
Police took in several people for questioning, but no one was being detained as a suspect early Monday, he said. The deputy chief was hopeful that interviews with the victims would help them develop a suspect description.
Early in the investigation, detectives are not sure if they are looking for multiple gunmen, or if the gunfire came from a vehicle or someone on foot.
More than one victim resided at the complex, according to Hampton. Last month, the city of Atlanta began relocating families from Forest Cove ahead of demolition Sept. 21, but officials said last week the process is behind schedule.
The blighted complex has been the site of at least 231 code violations and more than 650 police calls for violent crime, according to court documents filed by the city last year.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has identified Forest Cove as one of the worst apartment complexes for gang activity and vowed to crack down on offenders. It was listed among 43 properties with the highest number of crimes and housing code violations for poor living conditions, as released by Atlanta City Solicitor Raines Carter.
This crackdown comes in response to “Dangerous Dwellings,” a yearlong investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that found more than 250 apartment complexes in the Atlanta metro area were persistently dangerous, beset by violent crime and often horrific living conditions.
Forest Cove has 108 open housing-code cases, including 29 involving situations the city described as “highly hazardous,” the AJC previously reported. Since 2009, Atlanta police have investigated 19 homicides there.
Monday’s multiple shootings remain under investigation.
Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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