- A Georgia man has been arrested and charged with murder for allegedly shooting his 16-year-old stepson after the teen refused to stay home during the state shelter-in-place order.
- The incident occurred throughout the day on April 22, beginning with an argument between the teen, his mother, and his stepfather, according to a police report.
- The teen later returned home and kicked in the door, at which point a physical fight began between the teen and his stepfather, and ended in the teen being shot in the chest. The teem later died of his injuries at the hospital.
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A 42-year old Atlanta resident has been arrested and charged with murder after the fatal shooting of his 16-year-old stepson. The teen had refused to stay home during shelter-in-place orders, according to the preliminary report for the Atlanta Police Department.
Officers responded at around 8:20 pm on April 22 to call about a person shot. They found a16-year-old had been shot in the chest – he was brought to Grady hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The victim’s mother told police there was a verbal dispute earlier that day after the teen refused to obey his parents’ instruction to stay at home, in compliance with state shelter-in-place orders.
After the argument, the teen allegedly returned home and kicked in the door of the family’s house, resulting in a physical fight with his stepfather, identified as Bernie Hargrove. The teen was allegedly shot during this fight, the victim’s mother told police.
Hargrove was interviewed by detectives and arrested for the incident. He is currently listed as an inmate at Fulton County Jail.
The full report of the incident is not yet publicly available, according to a communications manager for the Atlanta Police Department.
The state of Georgia has been under executive order to shelter in place, limit social interaction, and avoid leaving the home except for essential business such as getting groceries, obtaining for needed medical care or supplies, going to work (if an essential employee) or exercising.
The order is slated to remain in place through April 30, although Gov. Brian Kemp allowed some businesses such as gyms, barbershops, and tattoo parlors to open on Friday, April 24. And movie theaters and restaurants will be allowed to open on April 26, according to officials.
Experts and officials (including Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Bottoms), however, have pushed back against the decision to ease preventative measures, arguing that doing so could result in a surge in coronavirus cases.
As of Saturday, Georgia had a total of 22,695 reported cases of coronavirus, with 4,326 hospitalizations and deaths attributed to COVID-19, according to the state public health department.
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