ATLANTA — Atlanta faced a violent weekend with 12 incidents of gun violence, leaving 29 injured and two dead. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum and Mayor Andre Dickens addressed the city’s recent spike in gun violence during a news conference on Monday morning, Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes reported.
Despite the weekend’s violence, Dickens highlighted a nearly 20% reduction in shootings compared to last year, attributing this progress to strategic investments in policing and prevention.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“Almost 20% reduction in shootings, that progress is the result of intentional and strategic investments, not just in policing, but also in prevention and in care,” Dickens said.
Schierbaum emphasized the ongoing investigations, particularly focusing on three shootings that occurred on Edgewood Avenue late Sunday night.
He urged those with information to come forward to aid in the investigation.
In southeast Atlanta, police are investigating the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old at a cookout, while another incident on Lynhurst Drive in Southwest Atlanta left innocent bystanders injured.
Activist Torrey Tomlinson, who has been mentoring young people in metro Atlanta for more than 20 years, stressed the importance of guiding troubled teens to programs that can help them.
“You have ‘One More Question.’ You have Next Level Boys Academy. You have Best Strong Inc. You have my company, Blessed One Community. ... Programs are being shut down. They just don’t have opportunity right now where they can get these job skills that they need to help keep our kids out of the streets and out of the prisons,” Tomlinson said.
“That anger, that conflict resolution and access to guns by individuals that should not have them should not have that moment. It’s still a matter that we all need to address as citizens of our city,” Schierbaum said.
RELATED STORIES:
- Charges announced in shooting that wounded 3
- Atlanta police search for shooter of 2 teenagers at house party
- 2 dead, 29 injured in 12 different Atlanta shootings over the weekend
- Police seek 4 people in Atlanta mass shooting that left 1 dead, 10 injured on Edgewood Ave
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
