STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Police have identified the victim of a shooting in DeKalb County woods as a Stone Mountain teenager.
According to the DeKalb County Police Department, investigators found 17-year-old James Smith, of Stone Mountain, shot to death off of North Hairston Road.
Detectives told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that the teen was found shot to death in a wooded area off of North Hairston near Central Drive.
Monica McNeal, a neighbor, said she was walking her dog when it happened. She said suddenly, police swarmed the area.
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“It’s very scary, it makes you not wanna go out,” McNeal told Channel 2 Action News. “They killing each other and that’s a shame. That’s sad. If people just put the guns down, it would make this world a better world to live in.”
She was one of the first neighbors who noticed something was seriously wrong. McNeal said she didn’t know the victim, but stayed at the scene so she could support his family when they arrived.
Seiden tried to speak with the victim’s father on Thursday, but visibly shaken, he declined to speak with members of the media.
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Loved ones of the victim told Channel 2 Action News they were determined to get justice for Smith’s death.
As the family, friends and neighbors gathered at the wooded area where Smith’s body was found, it was a heartbreaking scene.
Police said he had a dispute with an unknown person or persons on Feb. 13.
Officers believe his death was tied to that dispute, but other details were not immediately available.
As of Thursday afternoon, no one was under arrest.
Officers are urging anyone with information about Smith’s death to contact their detectives at 770-724-7850.
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