DeKalb County police announced Tuesday they are closing in on a suspect in a shooting outside a skating rink earlier this month that left an 11-year-old severely injured.
Investigators have not publicly identified the suspect, who remains at large.
D’Mari Johnson was outside the Golden Glide skating rink on Wesley Chapel Road on April 9 when he was shot in the back of the head. A video shared by the boy’s family on social media showed a crowd of people, including several minors, running through the parking lot as seven shots rang out.
The 11-year-old was taken to a hospital and has been in a medically induced coma since then.
Credit: The Cochran Firm
Credit: The Cochran Firm
The news of a suspect comes a day after the boy’s family held a news conference seeking answers from police, saying they’ve felt left in the dark throughout the investigation.
“This family just wants updates and answers. I think they deserve that at a minimum,” the family’s attorney, Shean Williams, told reporters Monday. “While their son is fighting in the hospital, they’re not getting the information to answer some of those questions of how, why and the reasons.”
Police have released few details about what led up to the shooting, but Williams said there were some fights at the rink and a “group of individuals that was causing havoc” who may have been involved in the shooting.
The family also is asking authorities to investigate the skating rink and its ability to keep visitors safe, arguing that if there was more security, D’Mari may not have been shot.
No one at the rink has answered the phone or returned emails when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has repeatedly reached out.
Williams said a letter has been sent to skating rink officials putting them on notice to preserve all evidence, including any available surveillance footage. Golden Glide, however, has not responded to the letter or offered the family an apology, Williams said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with the boy’s medical expenses, and a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest is being offered by Atlanta-based national radio and TV host Rashad Richey.
Anyone with information is asked to call DeKalb police investigators at 770-724-7850. To remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, tipsters may contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, text information to 274637 or visit the Crime Stoppers website.
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