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DECATUR, GA- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced a conviction by guilty plea in the case against a Decatur teen who shot an 11-year-old boy in the head outside a skating rink.
On Monday, Sept. 8, Cam’ron Mealing, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to charges of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, two counts of Armed Robbery, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under 18 Years Old in connection with the shooting on April 9, 2022.
According to the investigation, a little after 11 p.m. officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a report of a person shot at the Golden Glide Skating Rink on Wesley Chapel Road in unincorporated Decatur. When police arrived, they found the 11-year-old victim lying unconscious in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the head. First responders transported the 11-year-old to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for treatment. The boy survived his injuries, but lives with ongoing physical and emotional effects.
Witnesses told investigators the victim had been arguing with someone wearing a black hoodie and a red ski mask inside the skating rink. Video taken outside the business showed the young male in the ski mask chase the victim through the parking lot and shoot him. The shooter then ran down the street to a nearby fast-food restaurant where he robbed two people at gunpoint before getting picked up in a stolen car.
After news coverage of the shooting, tips from the community identified the shooter as Defendant Mealing, who was only 13 years old. He was arrested on April 21, 2022, and has been in custody at a youth detention center (YDC) ever since. Defendant Mealing, now 17, will be transferred to an adult prison.
“This senseless shooting changed two young lives forever. I am hopeful that the victim and his family can now move forward with closure knowing Defendant Mealing took responsibility for his actions and is being held accountable,” said District Attorney Sherry Boston.
DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk, who presided over the plea hearing, accepted Defendant Mealing’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 15 years to serve 7 years in custody, as outlined by the plea agreement with the State.
The case, assigned to the Trial Division, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Ryan Patrick, with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Laura James, District Attorney Supervising Investigator Christopher Hollowood, and Victim Advocate Mariana Salgado. Former DeKalb County Police Department Detectives Jared Wheeler and Michael Shepard, who are now DA’s Office Investigators, led the initial investigation.