Mother Of 3 Shot At Party

NEWNAN, Ga. — Police in Newnan said officers are looking for a man who shot an innocent bystander after a party early Sunday morning.

Someone shot Courtney Washington, a 20-year-old mother of three, as she tried to run away from Da Spot Event Center on Spence Avenue shortly after midnight.

"All I felt was something burning. It didn't hurt. But it was just burning," Washington told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri.

She said she was at the venue for a party with friends and family and left when a group of guys got into a fight. Once outside, she was trying to get out of the parking lot when she heard shots.

"Once I heard the gunshots I was just trying to get away, but by the time the second gunshot went off I guess it had already hit me," said Washington.

A police officer nearby heard the shots and responded quickly. Washington was transported and treated at Atlanta Medical Center where they removed the bullet.

Sergeant Chad Wood said Washington was not the target, but once the gunman hit her, he fired three more rounds.

"It could have paralyzed her completely for the rest of her life, if not took her life," Wood said. Investigators found shell casings on the ground near the back of the parking lot.

Phillip Roberts was working security that night and told Napier Viteri that he kicked out a group of guys causing trouble inside the party. He said one of the men ran to the parking lot next door and came back with a bandana covering his face and a gun.

"We have security guards. They search for weapons and drugs and stuff," Roberts said. Washington said doctors told her how lucky she was that the bullet did not cause more serious harm.

She said she is hopeful investigators will find the person who shot her.

"You can just shoot in a crowd and not know who you're going to hit. There's no telling what you'll do next," she said.

Anyone with information can call the Newnan Police tip line at 770-254-2350.

WSBTV