Atlanta girl, 8, fatally shot near Rayshard Brooks memorial site
Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, stated that for every 100 peaceful demonstrations, there is a negative incident.
Eight-year-old Secoriea Turner was shot and killed Sunday in Atlanta. The incident occured close to the site where Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by police on June 12.
The young girl was in a car with her mother who tried to pull into a nearby parking lot when they were confronted by a group of armed people who had blocked the entrance. For reasons not yet known, someone in the group opened fire striking the car several times, killing Turner.
JUST IN: We just got these photos of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, who was killed last night near the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks died: https://t.co/U2niKwoxXF pic.twitter.com/GI9zpSlbLl
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) July 5, 2020
Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, has said that incident is enough for her to clear out the area. “You shot and killed a baby,” Bottoms said at a press conference, “Enough is enough.”
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The Mayor had been allowing the site to remain open for peaceful protests. However, she stated that for every 100 peaceful demonstrations, there is a negative incident. Protesters allegedly attempted to firebomb the Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters building early Sunday.
According to a report from Atlanta’s 11Alive, 60 to 100 people showed up at the building at 1 a.m. wearing dark clothing and masks. Lt. Stephanie Stallings of the Georgia State Patrol told the outlet that the group threw fireworks through windows which started a small fire.
Brooks was shot by former Atlanta police officer, Garrett Rolfe, after being confronted when he fell asleep in a Wendy’s parking lot. Following a breathalyzer test, Brooks grabbed Rolfe’s taser and ran. He was shot as he ran away. Bodycam footage also noted that the officer kicked him in the head after the shooting.
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“We understand the frustration of Rayshard Brooks,” Turner’s mother, Charmaine Turner, said at a press conference, “We ain’t got nothing to do with that. (We’re) innocent. We didn’t mean no harm. My baby didn’t mean no harm.”
According to an NBC News report, a 53-year-old man was killed in a shooting, and two other people were wounded in the same area later that night.
Mayor Bottoms continued to express her frustration during the press conference saying, “We are doing each other more harm than any police officer on this force. We’ve had over 75 shootings in the city over the past several weeks. You can’t blame that on APD (Atlanta Police Department).”
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