Mother does not believe son accidentally shot, killed self

ATLANTA — A mother believes someone shot her 10-year-old son inside of a neighbor’s apartment.

Officer Lisa Bender told Channel 2 Action News that the shooting occurred in the 2500 block of Etheridge Drive NW on the Fourth of July.

Before it started to rain, there were dozens of neighbors crowded around the basement apartment, where the shooting happened around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Before the shooting happened, a neighbor said, “The mood was very nice, it was hot, everybody was playing and bringing their grills out.”

Channel 2 Action News was the first station on the scene as investigators were setting up the yellow police tape, and Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes saw detectives starting to ask witnesses questions.

The neighbor said a 10-year-old accidentally shot himself after finding a gun and playing with it, but Channel 2's Carl Willis spoke to the victim's mother, Marquita Jordan, who says her son, Sincere Jordan, did not shoot himself.

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“As of right now, we really don’t know exactly what happened,” police Capt. Reginald Moorman said.

Police told Fernandes that the victim's parents were not at the scene at the time of shooting.

Marquita Jordan told Willis that her son was a momma’s boy and a grandma’s boy.

She said that her son was a sweet child and was helpful in every way.

She says he was an A-B honor-roll student since kindergarten.

The boy’s mother said her son was at the neighbor’s apartment getting a haircut when he was shot.

“You expect to go out, have some barbecue, look at fireworks and bring all of your kids back home,” neighbor Niecey Ward said, “You didn’t expect that you were going to have to bury one of them.”

Some neighbors circulated stories of an accidental shooting, but police had not confirmed that.

Jordan’s mother believes it was no accident.

“He was like blocking his face and the little boy pulled the trigger,” she told Willis.

She said her son had defensive wounds to his hands and was shot in the head.

She also told Willis that her younger son was in the apartment moments before and says another 10-year-old boy was pointing a gun.

“I just really need to know what happened because he did not kill himself,” Jordan said.

She’s questioning why police have not pursued the male or the woman who rents the apartment.

He was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Homicide investigators arriving to NW ATL apt complex. 10 year old boy shot & killed. pic.twitter.com/0S7EUQI5sp

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