11 teenagers shot at birthday party in Macon, Georgia
Eleven teenagers were shot at a birthday party at a park in Macon, Georgia, according to officials. Two are in critical but stable condition, and no arrests have been made.
Deputies responded to reports of gunfire at about 12:06 a.m. on Sunday at Carolyn Crayton Park, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said at a briefing. Dozens of people were gathered near the skate park when another group arrived across the street.
“Both groups exchanged words, brandished firearms and then began firing at each other,” Davis said.
The gathering was a birthday celebration for a young woman turning 18. Organizers had initially rented an Airbnb in neighboring Jones County, but the property owner told the partygoers to leave after becoming concerned about their behavior and receiving information that firearms were at the house.
The group moved to the park, where the confrontation occurred shortly afterward, according to Davis.
While deputies were heading to the scene, they received reports that victims were arriving at a local hospital in private vehicles. The injured include four 18-year-old males, five 17-year-old males and two 18-year-old females.
One of the 18-year-old males and one of the 17-year-old males are in critical but stable condition. The other nine victims are in stable condition, Davis said, citing medical staff. The hospital’s emergency center was placed on lockdown as patients arrived.
Davis said three Northeast football players are among the injured. Authorities believe the victims were part of the larger birthday gathering and that those involved are from Macon or elsewhere in Middle Georgia.
Deputies took seven vehicles to the crime lab for examination, including four used to transport victims to the hospital and three left at the park. Teenage witnesses were also taken to investigators’ offices for interviews.
Several firearms were involved, and investigators found numerous spent shell casings. Authorities have people of interest but have not established a motive.
Investigators are also examining information suggesting some individuals may be connected to earlier shootings, including one on Anthony Road that injured five people earlier this week. Twenty-year-old Treyvon Antwan Deshazier was arrested in connection with that shooting.
A separate, permitted high school reunion at the park ended around 10 p.m. on Saturday. Investigators believe those attendees had left before the birthday gathering and shooting.
The sheriff’s office is in contact with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) about assistance. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
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