On Sunday night, six people were shot in a Dekalb County condominium complex in Georgia. The shooting left three people dead and three injured, according to local law enforcement. Lt. Shane Smith with DeKalb Police Department stated that as of Sunday evening, no suspects were taken into custody.
At approximately 7:50 p.m., those that called 911 reported shots fired in the Brandon Hill complex. The scene was located at 6500 Old Hampton Drive, close to Clarkston in DeKalb County, according to Lt. Smith. Law enforcement arrived and discovered five individuals who were shot. Smith also announced that the two people who lived were brought to a DeKalb County local hospital seriously injured.
Another victim was brought to the same DeKalb hospital later on, according to law enforcement. The names of those who were shot have not been disclosed.
Lt. Smith explained that the scene has been secured and detectives are there doing witnesses interviews and gathering evidence. Crime scene tape has isolated the area of the complex. Only official vehicles are allowed to enter and exit.
No information about how the DeKalb County incident happened has been released at this time.
2020 Homicide and Gun-related Deaths
In 2020, 154 homicide cases were reported in Dekalb County, Georgia. 114 Black men, 19 Black women, eight white men, two Hispanic women, two white women, four Asian men, and two Hispanic men were murdered in 2020, according to the report.
A total of 135 of 154 cases were gun-related. Seven of the victims were ages 11-20, 21 were ages 21-30, 17 were ages 31-40, eight were ages 41-50, five were ages 51-60, four were ages 61-70, and four were over 70 years of age.
Within the 159 counties in the state, Augusta-Richmond, Fulton, Muscogee, and DeKalb, have the three biggest cities, Columbus, Atlanta, and Augusta. The counties have 15.5 to 20.8 gun-related deaths between murder and suicide per 100,000 individuals, respectively, according to an Everytown report. It was also noted that 40% of gun-related deaths are murders in Georgia. This is in comparison to 36% nationwide, respectively.
US Gun Violence
Georgia has been ranked the 17th highest gun-related death state in the United States. The percentage of gun-related deaths in Georgia has gone up 20% from 2009 to 2018 between homicides and suicides. This is in comparison to an 18% rise in the same time period throughout the U.S.
Approximately 628 individuals die from gun-related murders every year. It is rated at 6.1 murders per 100,000 individuals. Throughout the U.S., Georgia has been ranked the 11th highest in gun-related murders. Out of all murders in the state, 80% are gun-related in comparison to 74% throughout the U.S. It is six times as likely for black people to be killed by gun-related murder as white people in comparison to 10 times nationwide, according to EveryTown.
Written by Marrissa Kay
Sources:
The Atlantic Journal-Constitution: Shooter on the run after 3 killed, 3 injured in DeKalb County; by Alexis Stevens
Fox 5 Atlanta: 3 dead, 3 wounded in DeKalb County apartment shooting
Everytown: Gun Violence in Georgia
DEKALB COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE: ANNUAL REPORT
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Studio Sarah Lou’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Ryo Chijiiwa’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
