A 12-year-old boy is in custody after police say he “mishandled” a handgun, which accidentally went off and shot a man.
The man later died at a nearby hospital.
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in an apartment at the Wood Glen Apartments off North Cary Street in LaGrange.
“When officers got there, they located a man named Nyquarious Gates. The 22-year-old man had been shot with a firearm he should never have had. We linked the firearm to some other criminal activity that charges will be coming from,” LaGrange Police Capt. Jeremy Butler told Channel 2’s Tom Regan.
Police said the child lived in the same neighborhood as the shooting victim, and that they knew each other, but were not related.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Neighbors question why proposal would bring 900 homeless people to Atlanta community
- Bojangles workers call police after man refuses to leave. Officers found him with guns, drugs
- ‘I feel vindicated’: Pinky Cole says she’s happy to get home back after creditor’s seizure
It’s unclear how many people were in the second-floor apartment at the time of the shooting.
Police say the firearm was stolen, possibly out of a car or home, and that investigators are trying to determine who stole it.
“That’s what our detectives are actively working on. The link to the gun and other activities of a criminal matter,” Butler said.
People who live in the apartment complex told Regan that the shooting is especially upsetting because it involves a child suspect.
“He should have been at home, asleep, and getting ready for school. Yeah, it’s tragic,” neighbor Toyota McGill said.
Others question how the child was able to get hold of a loaded firearm.
“My only thought is you know, due to the fact it was a 12-year-old and there were adults in the same room with him,” neighbor India Hill said.
The 12-year-old, whose name was not released by police, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and illegal possession of a firearm by a minor.
©2026 Cox Media Group
