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A boy is recovering after being shot in the foot early Friday morning while breaking into a car in southwest Atlanta, according to police.
Juvenile shot during car break-in
The Atlanta Police Department said officers responded around 2:20 a.m. to reports of a person shot in the 3300 block of Fairburn Road. When they arrived, officers found a juvenile male with a gunshot wound to his foot.
Investigators said the boy admitted to being shot after breaking into a vehicle.
The car’s owner, identified as Yoshay Carter, 51, told police he confronted the boy during the break-in and shot him.
The boy was taken to Arthur M. Blank Children’s Hospital and is expected to survive.
Carter was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail, police said.
Georgia self-defense laws
While self-defense laws in Georgia allow the use of force when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to protect themselves from imminent harm, police have not said whether the statute applies in this case.
Under Georgia Code §16-3-21, individuals are permitted to use force to defend themselves against unlawful force. Additionally, Georgia Code §16-3-23.1—commonly known as the state’s “stand your ground” law—states that a person has no duty to retreat before using force if they are in a place where they have a legal right to be and are not engaged in criminal activity.
