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A 16-year-old boy remains in critical condition on Monday after being shot on Saturday night outside a strip mall along Franklin Gateway in Marietta.
Police are asking witnesses to come forward.
Officers responded just after 10 p.m. to reports of gunfire outside several restaurants and nightclubs in the 500 block of Franklin Gateway. When they arrived, they found the teenager hiding between two parked cars with gunshot wounds.
“They found a 16-year-old, a juvenile who was hiding between two parked cars. He had been struck by gunfire,” said Officer Chuck McPhilamy with the Marietta Police Department.
Detectives believe at least two people were firing handguns at each other in the parking lot.
“There were two different individuals who were shooting handguns, presumably at each other,” McPhilamy said.
What sparked the gunfire remains unclear. Investigators are trying to determine whether the teen was involved or was an innocent bystander.
“We are still investigating to determine if he was simply wrong place, wrong time or if somehow he was in one of the two groups that seemed to be arguing with each other or that led to this altercation,” McPhilamy said.
Witnesses scattered before officers arrived, which has left investigators with few leads.
“All of the concerned patrons there at all of those businesses immediately began running to their vehicles and leaving,” McPhilamy said.
The teen was taken to a hospital. Police say they are treating him as a victim but are not releasing his identity.
Neighbors who work nearby say the situation is disturbing.
“That’s very scary,” said Sheree Strickland. “It’s sad that a 16-year-old has been shot.”
“I pray for the family; the child is going through trauma. Just hope that it doesn’t happen again,” another person said.
So far, no arrests have been made. Marietta police are urging anyone with information to contact them through their app or Crime Stoppers.
