In the early morning hours of 09/13/2024 Villa Rica Police Officers responded to the River Trace Subdivision in reference to a drive-by shooting where multiple houses were hit by the gunfire.
Detectives responded to the scene and developed multiple leads regarding possible suspects. Detectives continued the investigation until Tuesday, September 17, when two juvenile suspects were taken into custody and charged with the drive-by shooting. On September 18 a third juvenile suspect was taken into custody and charged with the shooting. All three juveniles are charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and criminal damage to property 1st degree as well as cruelty to children 1st degree.
The investigation is ongoing, but at this time it appears the three juveniles in custody are the only individuals involved in the drive-by shooting.
At this time, evidence suggests that the shooting resulted from an ongoing dispute between juveniles. This dispute had been festering for weeks and culminated in this shooting.
As violent crime committed by juveniles is on the rise, Villa Rica Police urge parents to monitor your kids’ communications on their cell phones and when something concerning is found to take proactive steps to resolve the problem. The residents in River Trace are very fortunate that nobody was hit by the indiscriminate gunfire.
Detective Jason O’Neal is the lead detective on this case, but the entire team of detectives and evidence custodian have worked tirelessly to identify and take these suspects into custody. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective O’Neal at joneal@villarica.gov or 678-840-1320.
