‘It’s Over’: Atlanta Mayor Says Protesters Should Clear Out After 8-Year-Old Girl Shot And Killed
An 8-year-old girl was shot July 4 in Atlanta during a night marked by violence, CBS 46 reported. The girl was shot in the area near where Rayshard Brooks was killed, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told protesters Sunday that it’s time to clear out.
The child was riding in the car with her mother and her mother’s adult friend just before 10 p.m. when the incident occurred, police said according to the CBS 46 report. The driver tried to enter a parking lot near the intersection of University Avenue and Pryor Road when the car was blocked by a group of armed individuals, one of whom began shooting into the vehicle. (RELATED: Rioters Destroy The College Football Hall Of Fame. The Destruction Is Saddening)
Multiple shots were fired into the vehicle. The girl was immediately taken to Atlanta Medical Center after she was shot, but did not survive, according to the report.
The shooting occurred near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot during a struggle with police last month. Brooks’ death escalated protests that had already been ongoing since the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis Police custody May 25.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms said during a press conference on the shooting that it’s time for people to “clear out of that area” where Rayshard Brooks was shot.
“This discussion, this mediation, and … it’s over. At a point where an 8-year-old baby is killed, the discussions have ended.”
Atlanta saw a night of violence on Independence Day this year, and multiple other shootings are being investigated by police.
A group of 60-100 rioters vandalized the Georgia Department of Public Safety Headquarters on United Avenue, causing damage to the windows, spray painting the building, and starting a small fire, according to a CBS 46 report.
Fourth of July protests also took place in D.C., but they remained mostly non-violent. Instead, protesters shut down the city, marching on the highway and forcing road closures between D.C. and Virginia that left the nation’s capital at a standstill. They also burned an American flag in front of the White House.