The boy who was shot by cops at a Six Flags in Georgia on opening night was also shot two weeks earlier in a drive-by shooting.
Syere Littlefield, 15, who was left in critical condition following the amusement park shooting, was one of 500-600 teens running around the park after a series of fights on Saturday night.
Police said Littlefield was also shot during a drive-by shooting that took place on February 17 on Lavender Lane in South Fulton near I-85. He suffered a minor injury and nobody has been arrested in connection to that incident.
‘I understand that Mr. Littlefield was listed as a victim in that incident,’ Lt. Jubal Rogers, a spokesman for the South Fulton Police Department told AL.com.
Littlefield remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Grady Memorial Hospital after the group of raging teens ran out of the park and sparked further chaos.
It is unclear if there is a connection between the drive-by and the amusement park shooting.
Syere Littlefield, 15, who was shot on Saturday outside of Six Flags in Georgia was shot in a drive-by on February 17. He suffered a minor injury and nobody has been arrested in connection to that incident
Littlefield, who was left in critical condition following the incident, was one of 500-600 teens running around the park participating in a number of fights that broke out on Saturday night
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that Littlefield fired shots at officers before they fired back at him and that a handgun was found on him at the scene.
He has been charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm under 18, according to Cobb County Police Department.
Videos of the dangerous scene have popped up across social media that appeared to show hundreds of teens running for their lives after gunfire was heard at the park.
A compilation of some of the footage showed multiple brawls breaking out over the course of the park’s opening day. The final scene shows the scramble toward the exit following the gunfight.
Officers fast identified where the shots were coming from and pursued the suspects into the woods. At one point, a CCPD officer fired his weapon, hitting a minor.
The incident is now under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and has sparked a wave of safety concerns about the park and horror at the way the hoards of teenagers behaved.
Some of the teens posted videos to social media of the chaos at the amusement park. Officers fast identified where the shots were coming from and pursued the suspects into the woods
Patrons rushed to the exits toward the evening as violence at Six Flags continued. Littlefield has been charged in connection to the incident and remains in critical condition
‘It’s just the fact that the suspects doing these crimes are younger and younger,’ local activist Gerald Rose told Fox5 Atlanta.
‘Summer hasn’t even broke yet, and on the first day of the amusement park, someone at 15 gets shot? We have all this gun violence going on and I’m just very concerned with where we’re headed,’ he said.
‘You’re a teenager. You supposed to be at home playing Atari video games. You out committing adult crimes,’ Rose added.
Some park goers were concerned about Six Flags’ ability to keep its customers safe. One couple said their bags were not checked when they entered the park.
Park officials clarified that they take guest safety extremely seriously and have ‘moved from manual bag checks to Evolv, an advanced security screen system that represents hands off screening technology to detect metals or any other unauthorized objects.’
‘It is crucial to emphasize that we prioritize safety,’ they said.
Some of the teens were caught on video violently brawling on the park’s opening day before gunfire broke out
Cobb Police said that the park requested their presence at the park that day after fights broke out last year. Six Flags said that officers were inside and outside of the park that day
Evolv is the same tech used by a number of schools in the metro Atlanta area, as well as much larger venues like Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Cobb Police said that the park requested their presence at the park that day after fights broke out last year.
‘Six Flags requested additional officers to work on the park property for that day. Additionally, the precinct commander for the area where Six Flags is situated arranged for extra officers to patrol the adjacent areas,’ police said.
In a statement on Sunday, Six Flags said that they had support from the police department both inside the park and outside on the day of the shooting.
Michael Owens, the Mayor of Mableton, where the park is located, said that the incident is ‘disappointing’ and that he plans to hold public safety meetings and work with police to talk about safety protocols.
Police said that no officers were injured during the shooting and Littlefield is expected to remain in the hospital for a couple of weeks.