The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHILD HIT BY STRAY BULLET NEAR MALL IDENTIFIED
Reward rises to $ 15K as search for suspects continues in case of 7- year- old struck in head by stray bullet.
Atlanta police have identifified the 7- year- old girl st ruck by a stray bullet Monday evening while Christmas shopping with her family in Buckhead.
Kennedy Maxie remained at
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite in critical condition Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
Maxie, who lives in the Mableton area, was shot in the back of the head while riding with her mother and aunt near Phipps P l a z a . I n v e s t i g a t o r s d o n o t
believe the family’s Lexus was the intended target of the shooting, which stemmed from an argument between several men in the parking lot of Saks Fifth Avenue, interim police Chief Rodney Bryant said.
The child’s aunt told detectives she heard the gunfifire while driving along Peachtree Road near the high- end shopping mall. Moments later, she realized Maxie had been struck and drove straight to the hospital, where the little girl was rushed into surgery.
Police are still examining surveillance footage from the parking lot in an attempt to identify the shooter, but no arrests have been made.
Atlanta attorney Jackie Patterson told The Atlanta Journal- Constitution he contributed $ 5,000 of his own money Wednesday t o i ncrease t he reward i n t he case, bringing the total amount to $ 15,000.
“I can imagine the pain this
family is going through because I have a daughter of my own,” Patterson said. “It’s Christmastime and this is just so tragic. I just want to do what I can to try to bring the shooter to justice.”
A Gofundme page set up to assist Maxie’s family had raised $ 5,500 as of Wednesday evening.
Monday’s incident outside Phipps Plaza follows a spate of shootings in the area as police struggle to stem the spike in violence at the end of a historically deadly year. As of Wednesday, there have been 151 homicides across the city, up from the 99 slayings police investigated in 2019.
“It’s very, very sad,” said Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore. “It’s just unbelievable the level of gun violence that we’re seeing.”
In a lengthy Facebook post urging anyone with information about Maxie’s case to come forward, Atlanta police said officers are “sickened” each time someone else is injured or killed in a shooting.
“It is especially disturbing when small children are the victims of these acts,” the post read. “Kennedy and her family didn’t deserve to be victims of gun violence. Their family’s day out shopping ended with this little girl shot in the head and her undergoing surgery.”
Atlanta police have increased security measures at nearby Lenox Square in recent weeks following a rise in violence at the mall. There have been at l east seven shooting incidents at the popular shopping destination in the past year, one of which was fatal.
“I don’t think anybody, including my constituents, are happy about the increase in violent crime ,” said Council man J. P.M at zigkeit,w hose district includes the western half of Buckhead. “Frankly, people are scared. They’re concerned and they’ re scared. … Those are places where everybody goes.”
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Atlanta police.
Tipsters can also remain anonymous, and be eligible for the cash reward, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404- 577- 8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.