COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified a 15-year-old boy shot by officers at Six Flags as Syere Littlefield, of College Park.
The GBI is now calling Littlefield a suspect and said he will be charged.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Littlefield was shot by an officer during an exchange of gunfire at the park Saturday night. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He’s since been upgraded to stable.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 16-year-old falls into water, drowns while on camping trip with family in Georgia state park
- Girlfriend’s family arrested after 23-year-old Ga. man shot, killed during argument
- Atlanta woman behind viral ‘Who -- Did I Marry’ TikTok series set to appear on Tamron Hall
Police recovered a handgun near Littlefield.
He’s been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault against an officer, possession of a pistol by a minor and interference of government property.
A GBI spokesperson said there were about 500-600 young teens outside the Six Flags in the area of South Service Road.
GBI investigators said there were several fights in the area and multiple suspects fired at officers as teens ran into the woods. An unmarked Cobb County Police Department vehicle was hit by the gunfire.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
No officers were injured.
Channel 2′s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell was outside of Six Flags Monday, where Cobb police were searching a wooded area. Newell learned that they were looking for any weapons that may have been discarded or any other evidence.
Newell spoke to Brandon McKeal, who was caught in the thick of the gunfire with his family over the weekend.
“I heard, ‘Bang! Bang!’ like that,” McKeal said. “The gun was literally in front of my car, like it happened right in front of my car.”
McKeal was in the car with his wife and children.
“My son was in the car seat, so there’s no way he could duck down,” McKeal said. “My wife is screaming. My 15-year-old is like, ‘Duck! Duck down!’ It’s done terrible damage to my wife and 15-year-old son, who has autism.”
Six Flags Over Georgia officials said its goal is to provide safe and fun entertainment, and it’s incredibly disappointing that the community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of people who are underaged.
A spokesperson for Six Flags released the following statement:
“Our goal is to provide safe, fun entertainment. We employ state-of-the-art security systems and metal detection, maintain a robust and vigilant Public Safety Department, and have strong support from Cobb County Police who are present both inside and outside the park. Every guest is expected to follow our strict code of conduct and anyone unwilling to follow that code of conduct is unwelcome. It is incredibly disappointing that our community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth. Just like other venues in the area, we are committed to keeping this type of trouble outside our park and off our property. There was police activity involving gunshots; we want to confirm there was no shooting at our property or parking lot. This took place on South Service Road which is not owned or operated by Six Flags. However, we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here.”
©2023 Cox Media Group
