ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – Concerns about safety now being raised by some community members after the first weekend of March ended with nine reported shootings in Atlanta.
Police said seven people were shot on Saturday and another two on Sunday.
On Saturday, a triple shooting unfolded outside of the Atlanta Fair after police said a fight between teenagers unfolded on the fairgrounds.
Both teens made it to the hospital but homicide detectives said a third teen, 16-year-old Joshua Adetunji, died at the scene.
Thirty minutes after the fair shooting, a woman was found shot in a pick-up truck near Interstate 75 and Arthur Langford Jr. Parkway. She managed to make it to the hospital.
Meanwhile in that same area on the same night, a man and two women were also shot while riding in a Lamborghini. All three made it to the hospital.
Police said they also received a report from a fourth person who said they were shot at in the area where the Lamborghini shooting occurred, but they were not wounded.
On Sunday, the violent trend continued. Police said a woman was shot after an altercation with a man in southwest Atlanta.
Police then responded to reports of a person shot on Marietta Boulevard outside of a local strip club. That was followed by an investigation into the shooting death of a man at a recording studio. An arrest was made in connection with this case.
Lastly, police told CBS46 they found a man with multiple stab wounds in the area of 578 Whitehall St. SW. Bystanders told police that the victim was involved in an altercation with a group of men and it eventually turned physical, which resulted in the stabbing.
CBS46 reporter Tori Cooper reached out to the Atlanta Police Department to get a statement on what’s being done to curb the alarming uptick in violence.
Initially police responded to Cooper by saying, “We appreciate the opportunity but will decline right now. If that changes we will notify all the outlets who asked.”
So, Cooper took to twitter to ask the mayor about what’s being done.
The Office of Mayor Dickens responded with the following statement:
The Mayor has repeatedly stated that violence in our city is unacceptable and public safety remains his top priority. The Administration will continue to work with the City’s partners to keep Atlanta’s streets safe—which requires a shared responsibility between all levels of government, law enforcement, judicial agencies, parents and guardians and Atlanta’s community village.
Hours later, Atlanta Police posted this statement to social media:
The department urged community members to get involved by talking to their children, locking up firearms and remaining vigilant.
“Atlanta, help us to help you. We need parents, extended families, churches, non-profit organizations, county agencies, celebrity folks with platforms and resources, and other individuals who claim to care about this city, crime and juveniles to step up and do their part,” APD wrote in their post.
“Kids shooting kids with guns left unsecured, teens shooting each other in public venues, teens carjacking innocent people and roaming the streets without guidance, accountability, love, and direction is a community issue that is bigger than police intervention,” the department added.
The overall message from Atlanta police: “Help us to help you.”
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