Man and 15-year-old are arrested in shooting that wounded 9 children at Georgia gas station
By Rebekah Riess, CNN
Two people have been arrested in the shooting that wounded nine children at a Columbus, Georgia, gas station earlier this month, police announced Friday.
The suspects were identified as 35-year-old D’Angelo Robinson, Sr., and an unnamed 15-year-old male, who were both taken into custody on aggravated assault charges, according to a release from the Columbus Police Department.
The February 17 shooting broke out when a group of minors at a party got into an altercation and went over to a nearby Shell gas station’s parking lot, where nine children all under the age of 18 were wounded — including a 5-year-old boy who was struck while there with a family member, Columbus police previously said.
In the week following the shooting, investigators interviewed witnesses and gathered information and “were ultimately able to establish probable cause to issue arrest warrants for the two suspects,” police said.
Robinson was charged with eight counts of aggravated assault, while the teenage suspect — who was described “a validated gang member” — was charged with one count of aggravated assault, the department said, adding that additional charges are pending.
The teen is being held at a youth detention center, police said. CNN is working to determine if Robinson has legal representation.
It’s unclear if Robinson was part of the initial altercation police described started at the party. It’s also unclear what prompted the incident or how it led to the gunfire.
The wounded children were treated for injuries that weren’t life-threatening, according to the department. Police previously said the oldest person wounded was 17 years old and the youngest was the 5-year-old boy.
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CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.