COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – Nine children, including a preteen and a 5-year-old boy, were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries following a shooting at a Shell gas station in Columbus, Georgia, on Friday night.
Officers with the Columbus police were dispatched to the scene shortly after 10 p.m., according to a press release from the department. Responding officers reported seeing a large group of people, among them the nine victims.
“Based on our preliminary investigation, we learned that an altercation took place at a party that was nearby,” said Columbia Police Chief Freddie Blackmon at a news conference Saturday morning.
Blackmon added that the altercation at the party — which may have been hosted at a nearby “warehouse location” — spilled over into the area of the gas station. He provided little additional detail of the investigation.
“We’re still working to develop the information to find out exactly what occurred, and how many individuals are involved,” he said.
Police had earlier said the ages of the victims ranged from 5 to 17:
- Male, 5
- Male, 12
- Female, 13
- Female, 13
- Male, 13
- Male, 14
- Male, 15
- Male, 15
- Male, 17
Four of the injured kids had been discharged from local medical facilities as of Saturday morning, Chief Blackmon said.
In a statement released prior to the news conference, Chief Blackmon denounced a “rash of gun violence” affecting children across America.
“While Columbus is not immune to these incidents, I want to assure citizens that the men and women of CPD are tirelessly working to get violent offenders off our streets. It is going to take a community effort to combat gun violence in our city. The entire village has a responsibility because incidents like this impacts all of us.”
Members of the department’s Robbery and Assault Unit are investigating. No arrests had been made as of Saturday morning.
Anyone with information is urged to call Det. E. Rosado at 706-225-3162.
