DeKalb County Police Chief’s statement on 3 arrests after shooting of 3-year-old child

DEKALB COUNTY, GA— On Sunday, Jan, 4, at approximately 6:53 p.m., officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to a report of a shooting in the 300 block of North Stone Mountain-Lithonia Road. When officers arrived, they found a young child suffering from a gunshot wound. That child was immediately transported to the hospital and remains in critical condition.

“What we know at this point is deeply troubling. A verbal altercation between several individuals outside a nearby gas station escalated into gunfire,” said DeKalb County Police Chief Gregory Padrick.

“During that exchange, a vehicle stopped in traffic was struck by bullets. Inside that vehicle was a young boy, seated in a car seat. He was not involved in the dispute. He was simply a child riding with his father. His father was not injured.

Let me be very clear: this child was an innocent victim. This incident was reckless, senseless, and completely unacceptable.

I want to emphasize how quickly this case moved forward. Within a very short period of time, our detectives were able to identify the suspect vehicle and the individuals involved.

That progress was driven by strong police work, real-time coordination, and the use of video evidence that helped us rapidly develop investigative leads.

As DeKalb County continues to move forward, our Digital Shield public safety technology initiative will play an increasingly important role in cases like this. The ability to responsibly leverage video, data, and real-time information allows us to identify suspects faster, reduce investigative timelines, and hold offenders accountable more effectively.

In this case, that work led to a traffic stop on Memorial Drive near North Hairston Road, where all occupants of the suspect vehicle were detained without incident. A subsequent search warrant executed at a residence on Rock Meadow Drive resulted in the recovery of a firearm and additional evidence connected to this investigation.

As a result, three individuals have been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, including one juvenile. All suspects remain in custody. This investigation remains active, and our detectives will continue to pursue every available lead.

Our thoughts and prayers are with this child and his family. No parent should ever have to experience this, and no child should ever be harmed by the careless actions of others.

The DeKalb County Police Department will continue to combine strong investigative work with modern, accountable technology to keep our community safe. Violence like this will not be tolerated, and those responsible will be held fully accountable.

If anyone has information related to this case, we urge you to contact the DeKalb County Police Department or Crime Stoppers Atlanta.”