ATLANTA — The teenager shot on a train at the MARTA Midtown station remained in the hospital Tuesday night. J’Von Easterling’s family said bullets hit him in his hand and leg.
“The crossbody bag he was carrying across his chest stopped the bullet that could have taken his life,” Betty Brown wrote online. “He will require surgery for his hand within the next few days and has already undergone multiple surgeries on his leg.”
Brown’s family said Easterling is a rising senior at KIPP Atlanta’s high school.
School staff wrote in a statement Tuesday:
“J’Von is an exceptional young man who represents the very best of KIPP Atlanta Schools. As a rising senior, track and field state champion, and student government leader, he has made a lasting impact on our community through his character, leadership, and dedication to excellence.”
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Family said Easterling is in high school, but he is part of a year-round science and engineering program at Georgia Tech called Project ENGAGES.
His family said he was on his way home from one of those classes Friday when MARTA police said Anthony Gresham, 42, shot him on the train at the Midtown Station.
The family said it was a random, senseless act of violence.
Gresham’s arrest record in Fulton County dates back to 2001.
He was on probation for aggravated assault and armed robbery when the shooting happened.
MARTA police arrested him twice last year, accusing him of indecent exposure and sexual battery.
It took police two days to find him after the shooting at the Midtown Station on Friday. He was arrested in Douglas County.
Easterling’s family remains by his side in the hospital.
MARTA police ramped up security at the Midtown station on Tuesday night.
“MARTA police officers are working 10- and 12-hour shifts, six days a week, patrolling trains, stations, buses, bus transfer hubs, and parking lots,” a spokesperson wrote.
The city is expecting an influx of soccer fans to arrive from around the world this week for the FIFA World Cup games.
MARTA said its Emergency Preparedness Unit will activate on MARTA’s Emergency Operations Center on Thursday.
“MARTA Police officers are working 10- and 12-hour shifts, six days a week,, patrolling trains, stations, buses, bus transfer hubs, and parking lots. A contingent of officers with Denver’s transit agency will offer additional support and visibility and sworn MPD officers on desk duty have been reassigned to patrol trains and station platforms,” a spokesperson said.
MARTA said riders should notice Denver officers patrolling on Friday.
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