Three people were killed and at least eight others injured in separate shootings across metro Atlanta during what for most Atlantans was a beautiful and quiet Memorial Day weekend.
The victims included a 16-year-old girl fatally shot outside a southwest Atlanta high school and an armed man killed by officers during a SWAT standoff and hostage situation in DeKalb County.
The teenage victim, identified as Bre’Asia Powell, was shot early Sunday morning in the exit driveway of Benjamin E. Mays High School, according to school authorities.
Atlanta police responded to the shooting at about 2:30 a.m. and found her and a 16-year-old boy, both of whom had sustained gunshot wounds. Bre’Asia was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died. The teenage boy was also taken to a hospital and is said to be stable. Police did not release his name or the extent of his injuries.
Both victims were rising 11th graders, Mayor Andre Dickens said during a press conference at the school on Sunday afternoon. Bre’Asia was expected to start working for the city of Atlanta Tuesday in its summer youth employment program.
“This young lady was full of life,” the mayor said.
In a statement, Atlanta Public Schools wrote that the two teenagers were shot during an unauthorized gathering.
Credit: Ben Hendren for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Hendren for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta police said they were asked to investigate the incident at the request of the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department. A motive is unclear, and authorities have not publicly stated whether anyone was arrested.
“We had children from across the metro Atlanta, and we’re asking all parents to speak with their children and please contact us,” stated Atlanta police Homicide Commander Lt. Andrew Smith. “(The) Crime Stoppers reward is at $10,000.”
On the opposite side of town on Saturday evening, Gwinnett police responded to a deadly shooting about five hours earlier at the intersection of Valley Club Drive and Sugarloaf Parkway near Lawrenceville.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found one man dead and another man with “serious injuries,” police said. The deceased victim’s name has not been released.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
“Investigators are currently exploring all motives, and canvassing the area for any security footage or anyone who may have witnessed the shooting,” police said.
The third fatality involved an officer shooting in response to a hostage situation. An armed man was fatally shot Saturday morning by an officer during a SWAT standoff after he barricaded himself in a DeKalb County home for several hours.
Jeremy Haugabook, 36, of Lithonia, was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries, according to the GBI.
Police responded around 3:35 a.m. to the home on the 2300 block of Cragstone Court after getting a 911 call. The caller stated he was texting with a resident who was hiding in the home. The caller also stated he could hear his mother’s boyfriend yelling. He said he believed the boyfriend, later identified as Haugabook, was going to shoot his mother. Police Chief Mirtha Ramos confirmed the suspect fired shots inside the home before officers arrived.
Ramos said the SWAT team was eventually called when Haugabook, who was believed to be “experiencing a behavioral health crisis,” refused to come outside. The SWAT team negotiated with the suspect for an hour before they entered the home, police said. Ramos said an arrest and search warrant had been obtained, and the woman had made it out safely.
Officers approached Haugabook and ordered him to drop his gun, police said. He then pointed the gun at officers and was shot by one of them, the GBI said.
The GBI said no officers were injured during the incident. The shooting was the 44th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year.
There were several other non-fatal shootings across the city, with some of the victims as young as 17.
On Friday evening, Atlanta police said two people were injured in shootings at separate gas stations across the city. Officers responded just before midnight to a person shot call at an Exxon station in the 1100 block of Metropolitan Parkway, where a 19-year-old man was found shot. The victim, who was not publicly identified, was alert when he was taken to a hospital, police said.
A few hours earlier, police responded to another shooting at a gas station in the 3200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Officers arrived to find a 61-year-old man shot in the leg. He was taken to a hospital and was said to be stable.
On Saturday evening, at around 11:45 p.m., police responded to reports of gunshots at Rosa L. Burney Park in southwest Atlanta. After arriving at the scene, officers were told that two people were already taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds.
Early Sunday, about 20 minutes after police responded to the shooting outside Benjamin E. Mays High School, another teenager arrived at Grady Memorial Hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. Police said the 17-year-old boy got into a road rage incident in the 3300 block of Delmar Lane in northwest Atlanta that escalated to gunfire.
At around 5:20 a.m., Atlanta police were flagged down at Hank Aaron Drive by a group of people who stated someone had been shot. They found a 23-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle.
Those shootings remain under investigation.
At least 15 people were shot in the metro area during Memorial Day weekend last year. Three of the victims died, including a 17-year-old.
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