DFCS said 12-year-old ‘not in danger’ months before being killed near Atlantic Station

ATLANTA — Georgia Division of Family and Children Services reports shed new light on the home life of Zyion Charles, the 12-year-old boy shot and killed near Atlantic Station in November.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington filed an open records request and obtained the reports detailing a number of behavioral issues concerning Zyion.

According to the reports, the boy’s mother, De’Erica Charles, asked case workers for help with her son.

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Days following the shooting, De’Erica Charles went before the Atlanta City Council and said she begged different agencies, including the Atlanta Police Department, to take custody of her son.

Atlanta police told Washington that Zyion was in a gang at the time of the shooting.

“They told me they can’t do nothing,” De’Erica Charles said.

According to a DFCS report, a case worker determined that Zyion was not in danger, recommended counseling, and then closed the case in July 2022.

Zyion died four months later.

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“You reach out to where you know to reach out to,” said Dr. LaToya Williams, a licensed clinical social worker who consults with Eastchester Family Services.

Williams said after DFCS closed the case, Zyion should have been referred to a behavioral health care program.

“There’s some behaviors we see that we want to change, let’s refer him there,” Williams explained.

For parents with troubled children, Williams said there are a number of resources available, including programs at the Department of Juvenile Justice.

“There are a lot of programs in there that keeps them from getting into more trouble than they’ve already gotten into,” Williams said.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to DFCS for comment on the reports but did not hear back.

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