Family confirmed to Channel 2 Action News 12-year-old Zyion Charles was the victim fatally shot near Atlantic Station on Saturday night.
A 12-year-old boy was identified as the victim who died in Saturday night’s shooting near Atlantic Station, Atlanta Mayor Andre d*ckens announced in a press conference on the 17th Street bridge on Sunday.
“Over here, we have continued to say recently that Atlanta is a group project,” d*ckens said. “When a 12-year-old dies in our city on our ... then the whole village has a responsibility and the whole village is impacted.”
Family confirmed to Channel 2 Action News 12-year-old Zyion Charles was the victim fatally shot near Atlantic Station on Saturday night.
The mayor said everyone involved in the incident was between age 12 to 21, with some being Atlanta public school students in middle school and high school and others from other counties in the area.
According to police, a dispute around 8 p.m. escalated to gunfire on the 17th Street bridge, which k*lled Charles and injured five others.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the teens involved in this incident knew each other before this shooting.
Schierbaum did not say anything about potential suspects or whether the department has made any arrests.
The other five victims were taken to the hospital, with one of them in critical condition.
Before the shooting, police said a group of juveniles was escorted off Atlantic Station property for unruly behavior and curfew violations.
Atlanta police are asking the public to submit any photos or videos they may have of the incident.
'We had to beg for help for hours and it didn’t happen' - Family of 12-year-old k*lled near Atlantic Station speaks about night of shooting
One of their main concerns, they said, is how the situation was handled after the crowd of kids was kicked out of Atlantic Station.
The family of 12-year-old Zyion Charles, who was shot to death Saturday near Atlantic Station, spoke exclusively to 11Alive about what happened that night and the lingering questions they have about how the situation was handled.
One of their main concerns, they said, was how officers didn't step in when asked.
"We had to beg for help for hours and it didn’t happen," Zyion's Aunt Dincia Charles said. "It hurts to know that my sister tried and lost her child, but she’s out here, even in the time that she's grieving to try to help somebody else, so this doesn’t happen to another child or family."
Two days after the shooting, Zyion's mom Deerica appeared at an Atlanta Public Safety Committee meeting, where she called on the city to do more to help kids. She said she had asked police to help her son understand the consequences after he began hanging out with older kids and getting in trouble. However, the family said the officer told her the offense wasn't serious enough to warrant him being held in custody.
“No matter if your mom is calling, crying out to us – 'We can’t help you or her.' So, for a child that is 12 years old that wants to hear, 'It’s OK to do whatever you want to do' – to hear that coming from authorities and people that is here to serve and protect us, 'Where would that take you as a child?'" Dincia asked.
Zyion's family said he was at a friend's house Saturday night when they decided to join the about 400 children gathering at Atlantic Station.
“My son got hit by a stray bullet. My son was having a good time at Atlantic Station. He was not bothering anybody, he was being a child. And at the time he was being a child, my son gets hurt,” Deerica said.
The Charles family questions whether officers could have stayed with the crowd of kids longer, as they were escorted off Atlantic Station's property to make sure the crowd broke up. While police have said they believe people with gang ties were involved in the shooting, the family stresses Zyion was not in a gang.
“People are grieving. The last thing that they want to hear, not just from social media but from (media) outlets, whenever they turn on the TV is that their 12-year-old child something was gang-related because he’s a Black young male,” Dincia said.
Zyion's family is calling for the reevaluation of a state-run point system that determines whether a juvenile offender is detained or released. Also, if you would like to help the family with funeral arrangements they have set up an online fundraiser.
The way the shooters dabbed up their homies with all smiles after the k*lling got me heated af
These kids really brainwashed into thinking this is all there is to life and to strive for smh
This is why stacey Abrams lost and why there is even a runoff between herschel and warnock.
Atlanta is too fu*kign ghetto and feminine energy is everywhere. What kind of fu*king 12 year olds don't even know how to knuckle up and f*ght? These little yung thug loving f*g**ts have no idea what life is about.
Free meech! BMF is the last of the non-violent OG street gangs. These new n*ggas need to die off.
“Let's walk to the bridge, meet me halfway
Now you may see some children dead off in the pathway
It's them poor babies walkin' slowly to the candy lady
It's lookin' bad, need some hope
Like the words "maybe", "if", or "probably"”
Looking at the Atlanta Mall on GRSE YouTube. This sh*t anit new in Atlanta & amongst Black youth in general. It’s just been super charged with rapid ignorance - social media, a ton of freely accessible guns with switches, emotionally stunted boys & a bunch of activated crash dummies. The fu*k is a 21 year old doing anywhere near a 12 year old they aren’t mentoring through a program or related to?
Last edited by WhoThaFuk; 12-04-2022 at 03:45 PM..
cause he was a bad a*s kid and wanted to be down with the streets. he won the "real n*gga award" early. dead or locked up i don't know how many times it's been said and will continue to be ignored.
This is why stacey Abrams lost and why there is even a runoff between herschel and warnock.
Atlanta is too fu*kign ghetto and feminine energy is everywhere. What kind of fu*king 12 year olds don't even know how to knuckle up and f*ght? These little yung thug loving f*g**ts have no idea what life is about.
Free meech! BMF is the last of the non-violent OG street gangs. These new n*ggas need to die off.
you want to free a drug dealer and support Hershel walker who wants to revoke citizenship?
This isn’t a Atlanta issue, children are being k*lled nationwide for ignorance like the drug dealers you admire promote
Low key the lil n*gga shot was a menace he got what was coming to him,
His own mom called cops on him 30 times because he was running with teens who break into cars while armed and ready to shoot at homeowners.
No sympathy. fu*k him and his k*llers.
He was bound shoot somebody or a homeowner,
One less for a safer neighborhood.
Man these are n*ggas that deserve the deathpenalty fu*k their age. Taking a life over this bullsh*t is some real degenerate breed behaviour that somehow only in our community runs this rampant.
Ain’t really no hope for the youth cause they’re in love with the gang culture and murder music which is all by design….I just try to give my kids the game and hope they’ll listen
Ain’t really no hope for the youth cause they’re in love with the gang culture and murder music which is all by design….I just try to give my kids the game and hope they’ll listen
We all grew up on gang and murder music. Stop using it as an excuse for poor parenting
There’s a video his mother talking to some local officials. She’s talking about how she tried to call the cops on him to get him help, but what are the cops supposed to do?
Daville502 said
Once kids start hanging out with the wrong crowd it's over. There are so many negative influences most youth can't combat them. It's sad.
I don’t believe that
My HS was hoodlum central and I have a few instances were some hood kid asked me to do something stupid with him. Robbery and home invasion. Never did I think twice about doing that dumb sh*t, but I also have a father. The dudes I know who were raised by only their mom ended getting into that type of sh*t though, and they all have criminal records.
Last edited by Tastemaker331; 12-04-2022 at 06:04 PM..
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you want to free a drug dealer and support Hershel walker who wants to revoke citizenship?
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Gunna lifted the window on yall
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