WAYCROSS, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says police fired at two teens during a traffic stop in south Georgia Saturday.
The incident happened around 8 a.m. in Waycross, about an hour south of Macon. The GBI said officers with the Waycross Police Department observe a traffic violation. Investigators said that when officers approached, three children, ages 9, 12 and 14 got out of the car and ran away.
As an officer approached the vehicle from the front, the car drove toward him and he fired multiple times at the vehicle, according to the GBI.
A 15- and 16-year-old were inside the car but were not hit by the gunfire. The teens jumped out of the car while it was still in drive.
The 15-year-old was hurt in a struggle with police and treated at the scene for minor injuries. No officers were injure.d
Video of the aftermath was shared on social media and sparked outrage.
“A 9-year-old, a 12-year-old ran into the house screaming,” a woman shooting the video says. “I don’t understand. My 15-year-old brother got pistol-whipped by the police department.”
Dominique Goodman Sr. told News4Jax in Jacksonville that he is the father of all five children. He said the older teens saw a police car behind them with no lights and told their younger siblings to get out of the car.
Video shows both teens on the ground.
“They my kids, man,” Goodman is heard saying on the video. “That’s my child, man.”
Atlanta Attorney and President of the Atlanta chapter of the Georgia NAACP Gerald Griggs retweeted the video and said the Georgia NAACP has been alerted to the incident.
This was the fourth officer-involved shooting in Georgia in 24 hours.