SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — A 12-year-old boy is fighting for his life after deputies say he was shot multiple times in what investigators describe as a dispute fueled by ‘disrespect’ and possible gang involvement.
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On Saturday, Spalding County deputies responded to a shooting just after 8:30 p.m. at Spalding Heights on Northside Drive.
When they arrived, they found 12-year-old De’Marion Wright, who had been shot in the arm, leg and head. He was rushed to a metro Atlanta hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Authorities said the shooting stemmed from a fight earlier in the day. Investigators say 18-year-old Robert Connell, also known as ‘Duck,’ went to the apartment complex to confront Wright about that earlier fight.
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During the confrontation, deputies said Connell shot the 12-year-old three times before running away.
Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said the violence appears to be tied to a perceived act of disrespect and may be gang-related.
“One young man is laying in a hospital bed fighting for his life and another is running like a coward all because somebody felt disrespected,” Dix said. “I guess in the gang world it makes you a big man that other gang members can look up to if you shoot a 12-year-old and run away. Most of us have another compound word or two that would better describe them.”
On Wednesday, Connell was arrested and booked into the Spalding County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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