‘Oh lord, they just shot that baby’: Argument leads to shooting that hurt 11-year-old, witness says

ATLANTA — An 11-year-old boy is recovering in the hospital after being shot in northwest Atlanta.

Channel 2’s Cory James was live outside Grady Memorial Hospital for WSB Tonight at 11 p.m.

A witness says the young boy was shot in the face.

Crime scene tape stretched in front of an apartment building in northwest Atlanta on Middleton Road on Saturday.

It is where Atlanta police say a boy was shot.

A woman who witnessed the dispute did not want to go on-camera,

But she told James she witnessed the shooting while sitting outside.

She says it started with several people arguing.

“The girl in the black in the grey pulled the gun out first. She just went boom boom boom, then the girl (in) all the black she shot,” the witness said.

The witness says adults and children were frantically running, trying to take cover.

But after she made it to a safe spot and looked up, she realized an innocent kid was hit.

“I’m like, ‘Oh lord, they just shot that baby.’ By the time we do like, he hit the ground, jump back up and ran to his momma’s house,” the witness said.

Atlanta police say they found shell casings.

According to investigators, the altercation started with people who live at the apartment complex and have an ongoing history of conflict.

Officers say one of the shooters wearing black used a rifle – hitting the child.

The witness said those involved in the dispute are family members.

The witness also said this is one of multiple shootings that have happened here recently. She says her hope is that something will change so that everyone – including kids – are able to live in a safe place.

“I don’t think it’s right we have to live like this,” she said.

The woman James spoke with said the fight started at 9 a.m. She said police came out then to help, but after they left, the women continued fighting.