As reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday, September 15, two young people have been arrested for the fatal shooting of a man during what has been described as an attempted theft of a PlayStation 4 console, which the victim was trying to sell on Craigslist.
Occurring on the night of Friday, September 12, a 16-year-old mother, with a nearby 16-month-old baby, allegedly shot the man with her baby only a few feet away at the time of the attempted theft, according to Sandy Springs police sergeant Ron Momon.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the victim, aged 28, had listed his PlayStation 4 for sale on Craigslist, and later went to the parking lot of an apartment on Treelodge Parkway at about 9:30pm to meet a potential buyer, Momon explained.
It was there that he met the 16-year-old mother in question and an accompanying young man, aged 20. According the Momon, the duo tried to rob the victim of his PlayStation 4, with the 20-year-old struggling to pull the PlayStation 4 away from the victim while he was still in the driver’s seat of a car. The victim him was standing outside the car, trying to get a hold of his PlayStation 4.
According to the report, during the struggle the 16-year-old mother fired a shot from what’s described as a .25 caliber handgun. The bullet that was fired passed through the 20-year-old’s hand and struck the victim in his chest, killing him.
Both of the young assailants were later arrested when they went to Northside Hospital for the 20-year-old’s gunshot wound, according to Momon.
“ Brookhaven police were at the hospital interviewing the injured man, who told them he was a victim of a crime in Brookhaven, but later told them he was shot while he and his girlfriend were at the Legends of Dunwoody Apartments to rob a man of his PS4 video gaming system that was advertised on Craigslist, ” Momon said. “ Detectives also learned that the juvenile’s infant child, approximately 16 months, was in the back seat of the car during the robbery and shooting, ”
The 20-year-old is currently being held without bond in the Fulton County Jail. The 16-year-old mother also remains in custody, with her child later given to her relatives. The weapon itself was recovered from the car in question.
The victim was well known in online gaming circles, and one of his gaming teammates set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the victim’s funeral expenses. As of today (Tuesday, September 16), the campaign has raised over $13,000.
We’ll bring you more news on this incident should further information reach our ears.