15-year-old in critical condition after officer-involved shooting near Six Flags, GBI says

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A teenager has been sent to the hospital after officials say a police officer shot them during an exchange of gunfire with a group of suspects.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials told Channel 2 Action News on Saturday at 6:15 p.m., Cobb County police were called to help Six Flags Over Georgia security with a large crowd within the park.

According to the investigation, the “unruly crowd” was made up of 500 to 600 people. GBI officials added that several fights had broken out near the park’s entrance as the crowd was leaving the park.

GBI officials said officers followed the crowd out of the park when multiple suspects fired on officers at a road off the property, prompting an officer to return fire.

Authorities confirmed the officer shot a 15-year-old. They were taken to the hospital following the incident and are in critical condition.

The victim’s identity has not been released.

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A spokesperson for the park said the incident did not happen at the park, but took place on South Service Road “that is not owned or operated by Six Flags.”

Speaking to members of the community at the scene, Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco learned most of the crowd were younger, at least according to Tiasione Justice, who lives nearby.

“It was a real big group of kids. I[’ve] never seen a group of kids like that outside of high school you know?” Justice said.

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The following is a statement sent from Six Flags Over Georgia to Channel 2 Action News:

“Our goal is to provide safe, fun entertainment. We employ state of the art security systems and metal detection, maintain a robust and vigilant Public Safety Department, and have strong support from Cobb County Police who are present both inside and outside the park. Every guest is expected to follow our strict code of conduct and anyone unwilling to follow that code of conduct is unwelcome.

It is incredibly disappointing that our community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth. Just like other venues in the area, we are committed to keeping this type of trouble outside our park and off our property. There was police activity involving gunshots; we want to confirm there was no shooting at our property or parking lot. This took place on South Service Road that is not owned or operated by Six Flags. However, we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here.”

The shooting remains under investigation.

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