Georgia park mass shooting wounds 11 teens at birthday party

Eleven people in their late teens were shot overnight Sunday at a park in Georgia, according to law enforcement.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting occurred around midnight “at a large gathering” in Carolyn Crayton Park in the city of Macon, about 85 miles southeast of Atlanta. The wounded victims were identified as four 18-year-old men, two 18-year-old women and five 17-year-old boys, according to the sheriff’s office.

Two of the victims, an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, were in critical condition, authorities said. The others were in stable condition.

The gathering appeared to be a birthday party that was originally supposed to take place at an Airbnb in Jones County, but the host made the group leave the premises, according to Bibb County Sheriff David Davis. The group included several students from nearby Central High School and Northeast High School, Davis said.

After the birthday party attendees gathered at the park, another group arrived and an argument between the two groups escalated into gunfire, Davis told reporters at a news conference.

All the victims were part of the party, Davis added, saying that he “can’t remember the last time we’ve had this many people shot at one time.”

No arrests have been made, and an investigation is ongoing. 

The FBI is assisting in the investigation due to the number of people involved, but Davis said all the evidence so far indicates the incident is local.