Mayor Andre Dickens and city leaders held a press conference outside of Benjamin E. Mays High School to discuss a shooting that occurred over the weekend outside of the school during the early morning hours.
According to police, teens went to the school after leaving a graduation party that ended after midnight. Around 2:30 a.m., shots were fired injuring a teenage girl and boy. The girl, 16-year-old Breasia Powell, died of her injuries. The 16-year-old boy was taken to the hospital and is currently recovering.
Dickens, who graduated from Mays High School, responded to the incident.
“We are always heartbroken when someone loses their life especially the day school lets out, we are at my Alma Mater and my neighborhood,”Dickens said during the press conference. “A rising 11th grader lost her life as a rising junior at Grady Hospital. We’re calling against gun violence in our communities and for our young people to experience a fun summer.”
Dickens continued, “This morning, I spent some time talking to two families, and one whose child passed away. Those are phone calls we don’t like to have. My heart goes out to both families. To the young people, we want you to be safe where you spend your time and who you spend your time with quality decisions about life. Parents make sure you stay on top of where your children are.”
Powell planned to work in the city’s summer youth employment program.
The Atlanta Public School released a statement: Two teenagers were shot during an unauthorized gathering at the end of the exiting driveway at Benjamin E. Mays High School, early Sunday morningThe gathering occurred after a graduation party at another location in the community was broken up by Atlanta Police a couple of hours earlier. Even during Summer Break, the safety and well-being of our students and employees remain a top priority for Atlanta Public Schools.
