16-year-old shot, killed in SW Atlanta: Advocate speaks out

Advocate against gun violence speaks out after shooting

A local advocate, known as L.A Pink, is speaking out against gun violence after two 16-year-olds shot each other Wednesday night in southwest Atlanta. One of the teens is dead.

ATLANTA - A 16-year-old boy was killed and another was wounded in a shootout between the two teens following an altercation Wednesday evening in southwest Atlanta, authorities said.

The shooting happened shortly after 8 p.m. in the 1100 block of Campbellton Road SW near the intersection of Oakland Drive.

What we know:

According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers found one 16-year-old male with a gunshot wound. He was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel, police said.

He was later identified as Gabriel Seats of Atlanta. 

Teen killed in Atlanta shootout

Nearly a half dozen others are wounded in two separate shootings that took place less than an hour apart. The first shooting happened on Oakland Drive in southwest Atlanta.

A second 16-year-old was also located at the scene with a gunshot wound to the buttocks. He was alert, conscious and breathing when he was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.

Both teens reportedly lived along the same street, but investigators have not disclosed what led to the initial confrontation.

What they're saying:

According to Atlanta Police Homicide Commander Andrew Smith, the shooting occurred after an altercation between two groups of juveniles.

"One was shot. The one that was shot then produced a handgun, returning fire, striking and killing the decedent," Smith told reporters during a briefing at the scene.

One witness told FOX 5 that she heard the gunfire while she was in her home.

"I was sitting in the living room. I heard multiple gunshots. The first set of the gunshots, it was like one or two - pow pow," Arista Phinnizee said. "The next were random."

Big picture view:

According to the Giffords Law Center, statistics show as the weather heats up, shootings increase across the country.

"It's like they know that the weather's changing and there's no filter on who are what they do," said L.A Pink.

Pink is with the Atlanta-area organization Street Groomers. She's an advocate who wants to see gun violence stop. She says Wednesday's shooting is heartbreaking.

"Sometimes these youths are just reckless shooting and not doing the right thing by thinking before they take action," she said.

Pink says people need to get into the community and go to where the young people are to give them outlets so they can avoid getting involved with the wrong crowd. She says it is all about getting them to make the right decisions.

"We have to get ahead of the situation, so that these types of activities don't continue to happen," Pink said.

What we don't know:

Police said they are still working to determine whether the shooting was gang-related, though gang investigators were on site. Smith also said detectives were interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance video to piece together the circumstances.

The identity of the teen who was injured has not been released. The investigation remains ongoing.