Atlanta mayor: ‘Enough is enough’, she blames armed protesters at evening news conference

From AJC.com via WSB radio site, July 5, :30 pm

After an 8-year-old girl was fatally shot near the Wendy’s restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed by a police officer, Atlanta’s mayor gave a harsh rebuke of the armed protesters that have taken the place over. 

“You shot and killed a baby,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said. “And there wasn’t just one shooter, there were at least two shooters.” 

In an evening news conference, Bottoms demanded that the people who have been seen carrying long guns near the University Avenue restaurant leave the area. 

“If you want to be a part of a solution and not the problem, you need to clear out of that area,” she said. 

The strong words follow the death of Secoriea Turner, who was shot while sitting in a car across the street from Wendy’s parking lot. 

Former Officer Garrett Rolfe shot Brooks in the restaurant’s parking lot last month, leading to a slew of protests across the city.

“Following the death of Rayshard Brooks, there have been a number of protests in the area, and there has been a problems with protesters closing the streets off,” Bottoms said. 

Atlanta police last week said they had removed the barriers from the street outside the restaurant. 

“Last night, I received a notice the barriers were back up about 45 minutes before I got the message that Secoriea was killed,” Bottoms said. 

The girl was riding in a car with her mother and an adult friend  on I-75/85 when they exited onto University Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said. 

The driver tried to turn into a parking lot in the 1200 block of Pryor Road but was confronted by a “group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance,” Chafee said. 

“At some point, someone in that group opened fire on the vehicle, striking it multiple times and striking the child who was inside,” he said. The  driver took the child to Atlanta Medical Center, Chafee said. 

Bottoms beseached anyone with information about the fatal shooting to come forward. 

"An 8-year-old girl was killed last night because her mother was riding down the street," Bottoms said. "If Secoriea was not safe last night, none of us are safe."

To the armed people at the restaurant, the Mayor said: "It's over."

3 killed, over 20 injured in Atlanta holiday shootings

By: Asia Simone Burns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published: July 5, 2020 2:34 PM via WBSradio.com

[....] In another incident, as many as 14 people were injured when shots were fired on Auburn Avenue, Chafee said. Police were sent to the area bout 1 a.m., he said. 

Investigators said a “large group” of people were gathered in the intersection to watch fireworks at a party. 

At some point, a car hit a group of the partygoers,  Chafee said. The incident sparked a fight and led to gunshots. 

All of the victims were taken to hospitals by private cars, and 12 of them are stable, Chafee said. Two of them were reported in critical condition and then died Sunday, he said. 

About 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police were  called to the 1500 block of Hardee Street after two people were reportedly shot, according to Chafee. 

Investigators said the man and woman had confronted a group of people who had been setting off fireworks outside their home. At some point during the conflict, shots were fired and the victims were hit, Chafee said. 

The man and woman were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, Chafee said. 

“Both declined to provide information to police regarding what happened,”He said. 

About the same time, five people were hurt in a drive-by shooting at a location on Lakewood Avenue, Chafee said. 

All five victims were taken an area hospitals, he said. They were listed as stable. 

Two people were also reported injured in unrelated shootings on Etheridge Drive and Edgewood Street. 

 City Council President Felicia Moore said she was up until 4 a.m. Sunday talking to constituents alarmed by the spasm of violence overnight.[....]

Atlanta mayor says 'enough is enough' after girl fatally shot near scene of Rayshard Brooks' death

By Susannah Cullinane, Hollie Silverman and Sharif Paget, @ CNN.com, Updated 12:12 AM ET, Mon July 6, 2020

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is calling for change to fight "the enemy within" saying that enough is enough after an 8-year-old girl was fatally shot Saturday near the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was killed.

Later Sunday night the Atlanta Police Department said another man was killed and two other victims were injured during an exchange of gunfire just two doors down from the scene of Brooks' death.

Secoriea Turner, 8, was shot in the area of University Ave and I-75/85 Saturday night while riding in a vehicle with her mother and an adult friend, according to police. The driver was attempting to enter a parking lot at 1238 Pryor Road where a group of individuals illegally placed barricades. Someone in the group opened fire on the vehicle, according to police, striking Turner.

"I am asking you to please honor this baby's life. Please, if you know who did this, please turn them in," Bottoms said at a press conference Sunday.

"Enough is enough. We have talked about this movement that is happening across America at this moment in time when we have the ears and the interest of people across this country and across this globe who are saying they want to see change."

But Bottoms said while the civil rights movement had a "defined common enemy" the current situation was different.

"We're fighting the enemy within when we are shooting each other up in our streets," the mayor said. "You shot and killed a baby. And it wasn't one shooter, there was at least two shooters," she said.

Bottoms said she wants people to have the same passion towards ending community violence that they have for police reform.

"We've had over 75 shootings in the city over the past several weeks," Bottoms said. "You can't blame that on APD [Atlanta Police Department]."

Bottoms said during the press conference that there had been a number of protests in the area where Brooks was killed and challenges with demonstrators closing roads. Saturday night she said she was told that barriers had been put back up.

"An 8-year-old girl was killed last night because her mother was riding down the street," Bottoms said. "You don't want someone on the street who would shoot into a car randomly. If you know them, you should turn them in." [....]