ATLANTA — The Hills at Greenbriar renters say they are shellshocked after a 6-month-old was shot and killed Wednesday night.
Atlanta police say a 23-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman were also shot and were taken to the hospital for their injuries. The baby was identified as Charles Watson Jr.
Renters told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln they’ve been complaining about crime for years.
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Lincoln learned the property owners were taken to court by the City of Atlanta last year. Court documents reveal the court hearings were in reference to several criminal citations on allegations of exposing renters to dangerous conditions.
Atlanta police records also reveal police have been called out to this property more than 1,200 times since January 2022.
Property management told Channel 2 Action News in a statement that since taking over the property in March they’ve hired additional security. However, management is blaming increased crime on the mounting number of people illegally living on property.
“In the last six months, we have decreased evictions to 103 evictions, and we’ve brought delinquency under $1,000,000. Prior to this incident, we had five on-site courtesy officers patrolling 7 days a week. Additionally, we hired an outside security contractor who provided an additional three courtesy officers,” management outlined in a statement.
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The family of the 23-year-old victim confirmed with Channel 2 Action News he is the father of the 6-month-old.
Authorities say there were at least two shooters.
They say the shooting was targeted after an incident that happened at the apartment complex in May. They did not comment on what that incident was.
There is no word on any possible suspects, but police are looking for a light-colored four-door sedan.
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