Young boy shot, 3 arrested in gas station shooting: 'This child was an innocent victim'
Arrests after 'innocent' young boy in car seat shot
A 3-year-old boy remains in critical condition Monday after a gas station dispute escalated into a shooting that struck his father’s vehicle Sunday evening. Three people were arrested, including a juvenile.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A 3-year-old boy remains in critical condition Monday after a gas station dispute escalated into a shooting that struck his father’s vehicle Sunday evening.
Three people were arrested, including a juvenile.
What we know:
The child, who was seated in a car seat, was caught in the crossfire of a verbal altercation between several individuals outside a nearby gas station in the 300 block of North Stone Mountain Lithonia Road. The shooting occurred around 6:53 p.m. on Sunday while the boy was riding in a vehicle with his father.
"The young boy, he was seated in a car seat," DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said. "He was not involved in the dispute. He was simply riding in the car with his father."
The boy was struck when the vehicle, which was stopped in traffic, was hit by bullets. He was transported to a hospital and remains in critical condition. His father was not injured.
Police identified the suspect's vehicle through video evidence and conducted a traffic stop on Memorial Drive near North Hairston Road, where the occupants were detained. A search warrant executed at a residence on Rock Meadow Drive resulted in the recovery of a firearm and additional evidence.
DeKalb County police officers recover a firearm and additional evidence during a search warrant execution at a residence on Rock Meadow Drive, Jan. 5, 2026. (FOX 5)
Those in custody include 20-year-old Jonathon Tate, 21-year-old Julius Hughes and a juvenile. Each face charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Jonathon Tate and Julius Hughes (DeKalb County Sheriff's Office)
What they're saying:
"Let me be very clear. This child was an innocent victim," Padrick said. "This incident was reckless, senseless, and completely unacceptable."
Child in car seat shot during gas station dispute
An innocent child remains in critical condition after being struck by gunfire while sitting in a car seat during a dispute at a Lithonia gas station. DeKalb County police arrested three individuals, including a juvenile, following a traffic stop and a residential search that uncovered a firearm.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said the child’s injury is a trauma no family should face. "As a parent, my heart is with the child as well as the family," she said. "No parent should have to experience this kind of trauma. And no family should exist within a community where they cannot feel safe."
What we don't know:
It also remains unclear exactly what sparked the "verbal altercation" at the gas station or how many weapons were fired during the exchange.
The specific age and medical status of the boy also remain closely guarded.
Child shot Sunday night in DeKalb County
A young child was injured in a shooting Sunday evening in DeKalb County, according to police. It happened in the 300 block of North Stone Mountain Lithonia Road.
While Chief Padrick confirmed the child was in a car seat, the department has not disclosed the nature of his wounds or if he has undergone surgery since being admitted in critical condition Sunday night.
What you can do:
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to submit an anonymous tip through the DeKalb County Police Department’s Tip411 app or by texting "DKPD" to 847411 followed by the tip.