Residents described a chaotic scene after four people were shot near a Boulevard NE apartment complex.
ATLANTA, Ga. — A 23-year-old woman described by investigators as an innocent bystander was among three people who survived a shooting that killed an 18-year-old man outside an Old Fourth Ward apartment complex Friday, authorities said.
The woman and two boys, ages 16 and 17, were taken to a hospital in stable condition after the shooting at 464 Boulevard NE, according to Atlanta police. The 18-year-old was also taken to a hospital but died from his injuries. Officials had not publicly identified any of the four victims by Saturday.
Officers were called to the apartment complex at about 5:20 p.m. following reports that several people had been shot. Police said the gunfire occurred outside, although the mortally wounded teenager ran into the building before collapsing. Responding officers found others who had fled a short distance from the scene.
The shooting brought a large police response to the area near Boulevard NE and Angier Avenue. Resident Melodi Shakur told FOX 5 Atlanta that she saw commotion as officers arrived and heard someone yell that a girl had been shot. She later saw evidence of the emergency inside the building.
G. Lynne Alston-Leonard, who lives next to the complex, described the surrounding community as a good neighborhood working to rebuild itself. She said residents must continue working with younger people so they understand that guns and violence are not the answer.
Police had not established whether the wounded woman was connected to any of the other victims. Investigators also had not said whether the teenagers knew one another, whether any of them lived at the complex or what events immediately preceded the gunfire.
Several people were detained for questioning after the shooting, but police said it was too early to describe them as suspects. No arrests or formal charges had been announced. Investigators were reviewing surveillance footage provided by the apartment complex and examining firearms recovered during the response.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted Atlanta police with ballistic evidence processing. Authorities had not disclosed how many weapons were recovered, how many people fired shots or whether testing had linked any weapon to the fatal injury.
The woman and the two younger teenagers remained in stable condition in the latest official update. Police said the case remained under investigation, with the motive, relationships among those involved and possible charges still undetermined.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.