South Fulton County

11-year-old recovering after being shot as violence broke out near movie theater

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A south Fulton County mother says she thought she would have to plan a funeral after she got a call that her 11-year-old daughter was shot.

The shooting happened over the weekend near a movie theater at the busy Camp Creek Marketplace.

It was the first weekend the theater opened since COVID-19 caused it to close its doors.

When the theater turned away a large crowd of teens not accompanied by an adult, the chaos started and the 11-year-old was shot.

“I got the call, ‘Momma, Makenzie’s been shot,’” mother Gabrile Stephens told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.

“At the time what went through my mind,” Jones asked Stephens.

“A funeral — I got to plan a funeral,” Stephens said.

Makenzie was shot in the back behind a Longhorn Steakhouse in the busy shopping center Saturday around 8 p.m.

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Her mother said the violence has got to stop.

“Y’all put them guns down. We know to fight it out not shoot it out,” Stephens said.

She told Jones that Makenzie was with several relatives as they went to see a movie, when they found out they couldn’t go in because they weren’t accompanied by an adult, o they left.

Then they saw some young men running and heard shots, and that’s when Makenzie was hit.

Authorities said the theater was packed with kids that night, and there were many fights.

Jones found that someone shot a sign outside the movie theater and threw rocks through the window, angry because they couldn’t get in.

Mackenzie’s mother wonders what teens are doing with guns at the movies.

“Whoever did this, turn yourself in to the East Point Police Department. Justice will be served for my baby girl,” Stephens said.

Police don’t believe Makenzie was the intended target. They are looking through cameras in the area trying to identify the shooter.

Stephen told Jones that she had no idea the movie theater had a curfew, and that adults had to accompany kids after 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.