‘I got down, ducked for cover’: Witness recalls moment 14-year-old shot himself at Stonecrest Mall

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The Stonecrest Mall was evacuated Saturday, after a gun went off. DeKalb County police said a teenager accidentally shot himself.

Stonecrest Mall opened back up to customers Saturday, but just hours before, the mall was shut down, after Dekalb County Police said a 14-year-old accidentally fired a gun and shot himself.

“I got down and ducked for cover,” Fawn Roberts told Channel 2′s Larry Spruill.

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Fawn Roberts said she was inside a store when she heard the gun, “I was getting my make-up done for my birthday party tonight and we heard a big bang. I looked at the make-up lady and I said that was a shot. She said they’re always shooting in here. So we got down and then about two minutes, everyone started running that way.”

Yumaka Lawton sent Channel 2 Action News cell phone video that showed emergency crews at the scene.

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Xavier Scott works at Stonecrest. He described everything as chaos, “There was a kid outside Forever 21 and he shot himself in the leg, with a gun. That’s when everyone started running, and a few minutes later, police came with M4′s and all that.”

Many are glad there weren’t any serious injuries, while Roberts is wondering why a 14-year-old had a gun at the mall in the first place. “He shouldn’t have a gun. I mean, why, does he have a gun, in the mall?” said Fawn Roberts.

Police said the teen was transported to a local hospital. He’s recovering.

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