11-year-old shot at apartment complex in northwest Atlanta

11-year-old boy shot at apartment complex with troubled past

An 11-year-old boy was hospitalized Saturday afternoon after being hit by a stray bullet during a fight between several women at The Commons apartments.

ATLANTA - An 11-year-old boy was hit by a stray bullet Saturday afternoon at The Commons apartments, according to police.

Shooting injures 11-year-old boy

What we know:

Atlanta police say the shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. while multiple women were outside fighting. 

During the altercation, investigators believe a woman dressed in all black fired a gun into the air. That bullet then struck the 11-year-old child.

Boy struck by bullet

What we don't know:

The boy was rushed to the hospital for treatment, but police have not yet released the extent of his injuries. They also have not confirmed if the woman responsible has been taken into custody.

Violence at The Commons apartments

Local perspective:

The Commons has been plagued by violent crime over the past year. According to the Atlanta Police Department's crime tracking map, there were 14 aggravated assaults and two murders reported at the complex between January 1 and December 31, 2025.

Saturday's shooting is just the latest in a string of violent incidents involving young people and neighbors at the property. Last May, a 14-year-old boy was shot at the complex and had to be treated at Grady Hospital. In June and November of last year, two separate shootings claimed the lives of a 34-year-old man and a 35-year-old man.

Tensions at the complex have previously turned local disputes into gunfire. In July, a mother and her two daughters were shot during a fight with a neighbor over a jump-start for a car. Most recently, on Christmas Eve, an off-duty officer shot a man after being flagged down by residents who reported someone firing a weapon on the property.