Do metro Atlanta schools have a gang problem? What parents need to know

ATLANTA — A Channel 2 Action News Investigation uncovers the reason behind so much gun violence at a Dekalb County high school: Gang warfare.

Channel’s Michael Seiden was at the DeKalb County Police headquarters, where he reviewed more than two dozen documents and learned that after last month’s shooting at McNair High School, DeKalb Police’s SWAT team and gang unit as well as the DeKalb County Schools Police Department teamed up to arrest several gang members involved.

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The shooting happened at the end of a school day at McNair. Investigators said that a 15-year-old student who is considered a well-known gang member started spraying bullets at other students who are suspected members of a rival gang from a car. No one was hit.

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Channel 2 Action News is not naming the 15-year-old because he is a minor.

A 19-year-old, Mekhi Jackson, was one of the suspected gang members who was also arrested. He’s now been charged in the drive-by shooting after investigators determined he was the getaway driver.

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According to a police report, the Jan. 21 shooting was part of a series of retaliation shootings between rival gangs. When police arrested Jackson and the suspected shooter, the report shows they recovered a stolen Glock that was taken during an armed robbery in Riverdale.

Tyrone Dennis is a retired Atlanta police gang detective who has investigated many of metro Atlanta’s most notorious gangs. He’s not involved in the case, but said many young children turn to gangs when they aren’t getting enough attention at home.

“Some kids feel like they’re not being loved properly at home, and they may get the attention they want being within this gang,” Dennis said.

Dennis said that parents need to communicate with their children.

“When you go school shopping, if your kid is leaning toward an abundance of one color, you may want to ask them, ‘Why do you have red shoelaces? Why do you only wear red?’” Dennis said.

In a survey conducted by the Georgia Gang Investigators Association, all but four counties in Georgia reported gang activity in schools.

The GBI’s Gang Task Force, which works with multiple law enforcement agencies including the Atlanta Police Department, reported 170 documented street gangs, more than 270 gang-related investigations and more than $19 million in seized contraband along with 40 firearms in 2021.

In 2018, there were more than 70,000 gang members and associates living in Georgia and 155 of 159 counties reported gang activity in schools.

Police investigate shooting near main exit to McNair High School It happened late Friday afternoon near the school’s main exit along Bouldercrest Road.

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