A 9-year-old boy who was shot four times Wednesday evening in East Atlanta has undergone surgery and is expected to be OK, his mother said.
Javonni Carson, a rising fourth-grader at Atlanta’s Deerwood Academy, was one of three people injured when gunfire erupted in a parking lot along Flat Shoals Avenue shortly before 9 p.m.
His mother, Keyona Carson, said Jovanni was filming TikTok videos with two of his older siblings when someone in a car drove by and began shooting into the crowd of people.
Her son was struck four times in his left leg and rushed to the hospital by his father, she said.
Doctors have since removed the bullets and performed surgery to repair Jovanni’s shattered femur. He is recovering at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.
“My other two kids were there, too, and they saw everything,” Carson, 35, said Saturday. “Someone just drove by and started shooting.”
Two men were also injured in the incident, police said. One was shot in the hand and the other was shot in the buttocks.
According to an Atlanta police report, at least five cars were struck by gunfire and officers recovered 42 shell casings from the scene. No arrests have been made in the case.
Footage of the shooting was captured on a surveillance camera outside Gaja Korean Bar, according to the incident report.
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Tonight we will shortening our service from 5-9pm. After the tragic events of last night we will work hard to ensure the safety of our staff and patrons. East Atlanta is our home, we won’t give up on it. We’ll get through this together. Love, Gaja.
A post shared by GAJA KOREAN BAR (@gaja_eav) on Jul 9, 2020 at 11:15am PDT
Police said a dark-colored vehicle drove through the parking lot and someone inside began shooting into the crowd. Some bystanders ran away, while others crouched behind parked cars for cover. One man pulled out a handgun and returned fire, authorities said.
“My 11-year-old said he was trying to crawl over to (Javonni), but there were already so many people on the ground,” Keyona Carson said. “I didn’t know anything until I got to the hospital. I just knew he’d been shot.”
According to police, the suspect’s vehicle fled west on Glenwood Avenue toward Moreland Avenue
Wednesday’s shooting occurred days after a violent Fourth of July weekend that left five people dead and more than two dozen injured in Atlanta.
Among those killed was 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, who was shot Saturday evening when a group of armed men opened fire on her mother’s SUV along University Avenue.
Investigators have released a photo of a person of interest in the case, but no arrests have been made in the little girl’s death.
Keyona Carson said she’s been following Turner’s case and is heartbroken for her family, but fortunate that her son survived his injuries.
“I just thank God that he’s still here,” she said of Javonni. “They don’t even have their baby any more. I can’t imagine.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for Javonni Carson’s medical expenses. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Atlanta police.
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