18-Year Old Shot Near Decatur Police Station
Decatur Metro | July 1, 2009Kristie writes in…
Hi DM. I saw on the news this morning that someone was shot while walking down Electric Ave., right in front of COD police station. Do you know any of the details on this? Seems like the blocks surrounding the police station are the most dangerous in the city.
I have a note into the DPD, but wanted to get this out there in case anyone has heard more detail.
UPDATE: Decatur PD is getting good at getting us quick info on these events and I certainly appreciate it.
On Tuesday June 30, 2009 at approximately 11:00 pm the Decatur Police Department was notified of a person shot in the vicinity of Electric Avenue. Responding officers made contact with the victim Quontavius Clark, an 18 year old male. Clark had a gunshot wound to his lower back, but was conscious and alert. Clark stated he and two companions were walking home near the 400 block of Electric Avenue when a vehicle stopped in the roadway and someone inside the vehicle fired several gunshots. Clark and his companions ran from the area, and did not see the suspect’s vehicle again. Clark was the only person injured. Clark was transported to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment.
Anyone having information about this crime is requested to contact the Decatur Police Department at (404) 373-6551.
Latest from Decaturish
See note from Decatur Police above in the update.
This is sad, walking not alone but with two companions, at 11 PM on a week night, on a well-lit, fairly busy Decatur street around the corner from the police station. Honestly, before kids, when I was less engaged in the whole Decatur community, I would consider W. Trinity and Electric Ave. as scarey. But I go there all the time now–kids dance classes at the Beacon Hill studio, bicycling from the northwestish to south side of town and vice versa, soccer on Ebster Field, events in Ebster gym, picking up and dropping off kids’ friends at Allen Wilson Terrace, Gateway, or Swanton Heights, math academy at the DHA Community Center…..geeesh. I’ve even left my 13 year old at a birthday party in Ebster Gym that went until 10:30 PM, just a half hour before this shooting. Now, I DID insist he stay in the gym until pick-up but that was because I was worried about kids running around being noisy, not that physical harm could occur.
Have I been too naive? Or is it getting more dangerous? I hate to say it but I’m hoping that this is an acquaintance-related shooting, not stranger on stranger. I want to believe that once the perpetrators are caught, the danger in that area drops back to acceptable levels. I don’t like the message it sends to my kids if we have to avoid the area.
I sincerely hope Mr. Clark will recover fully from his injuries. This is a sad story for Decatur.
And I have a request to all of my fellow DM bloggers: Can we completely skip the anti- and pro-gun discussion on this one? I know this story cries out for it, but it just seems to make emotions run too high.
As always, remain alert and aware of your surroundings. Be safe, all.
Ok, no rants on deadly firearms.
My question is, was this a random shooting? or did it involve an altercation beforehand? Granted, people don’t usually deserve to be shot, but a random shooting is a lot scarier than a grudge.
W. Gibbets – Seriously? A shooting is a shooting, random or not. Keep in mind that, regardless of “intent”, stray bullets can find unintended targets. Its saddens me that we resort to rationalizing that if its a “grudge” vs. “random” it’s somehow “less scarier”.
I’ll have to disagree with you here MM. In the public eye a shooting is never just a shooting. John Henderson is the perfect example. Before it came out that APD got the story wrong, he wasn’t shot dead in cold blood, he was shot because the morons fired back into the building leaving and he was very unlucky, people were FREAKING out.
Random acts of violence are the ones that really frighten the general population. It’s only when you can no longer justify your own safety by saying, “Well, I’m not in a gang, so I’m not likely to be shot in a drive-by”, that everyone gets scared. It’s similar to domestic abuse. When you hear about domestic abuse, you don’t run out the door in fear of your spouse. You know your situation and your odds.
With random acts, you don’t know your odds.
DM – I see what you are saying. My only point is – let’s assume this was a “grudge” shooting. Those bullets could just have easily found a random target in addition to the intended victim. That being said, the act of the shooting itself is equally as scary, regardless of intent.
I think none of you seem to understand how youth gang culture works. No reasons just some kid trying to make his bones to use the old mafia parlance. It’s all around you and you don’t even notice. What do you think all the graphiti means?
Moderation is for monks. Most problems in our culture stem from our inability to talk plainly about the problem.
I like your first sentence. It has good flow.
But I would ask in response, is it impossible to talk plainly without personally attacking or insulting each other?
Yes, yes, David, we’re all clueless–I thought all the graffiti around here was part of an ongoing urban folk-art installation.
Ok, so, you know, what are the “tea leaves” on the wall telling you? was this random gang violence or someone infringing on another gang’s drug turf?
Maybe you could talk plainly to us (what, we weren’t talking plainly?) and let us know.
I wasn’t rationalizing–I was wondering. As for the BIG difference between grudge shooting and random shooting:
in the case of the former, the shooter is looking for a particular person–or group, but in the case of the latter, the shooter is looking for ANYONE to shoot–which means all the rest of us. To me that’s a pretty crucial distinction.
Someone getting shot is terrible, but I would like to know as soon as possible if there is someone with a gun targeting anybody on the streets–hell, the next person he sees could be me or you.
Agree completely that it’s a crucial distinction whether the shooter is looking for a particular person (although I realize it’s still life-threatening for that particular person) vs. whether they are just looking to shoot anyone (in which case I want my family off the streets in Decatur, period. No boutique browsing in the evening, no dropping off friends in Allen Wilson Terrace, no sitting outside at Chick Fil A which is only one large block from Allen Wilson Terrace, two large blocks from Electric Avenue.)
Re graffiti: What graffiti? Other than at the MARTA station, I haven’t noticed graffiti. Or do I just have my rose-colored glasses on? I’ve lived in NYC and Los Angeles in past so I know graffiti and I know not to go where there’s more graffiti than Starbucks. But am I too convinced that Decatur is Mayberry in Atlanta to notice its graffiti?
Any more news on the reason for the shooting? Are the victim and “companions” truly Decatur residentsor visitors? Do we know anything about the shooter and carmates? Apprehended yet/
I believe they’re called drive-bys in the hood. All you need is a car, a gun and somebody whose looks you don’t like.
Happens in Druid Hills all the time. Yo G.
Ok, so gangs go out early and buy a whole bunch of spray paint. They find a random target just walking down the street and shoot them. Is this it?
My question is, when do they do they do the tagging, before or after the drive-by?
ummm.
I’m guessing they do the tagging before because if they did it AFTER,, with all that adrenaline pumping they’d have a difficult time holding the spray-can steady enough to write clearly. I mean, it would be indecipherable after a shooting; basically, complete gibberish gibbets.
Ok, so explain the “random” target then.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls Mr. Gibbets…
We’ll just call him “Slippy” from now on–for his logic is as slippery as his premises.
I bet he has ankle or knee problems.
Or, maybe, we should call him “Sippy”?
Hold on there Mr. Gibbets; add some iodine to your diet lest you choke yourself… While I admit that my lack of coordination is legendary, I’ll have you know I harbor no swollen joints as of this moment.
“…as of this moOHOHOH–BANG!
[from the next room] Honey? Was that you? Are you ok, Sippy…? Honey?”
Now you know why I have deep pile (no pun intended) shag carpet wall-to-wall, Mr. Gibberish. oh, and a creaky nod to the syrupy endearment as well there macko.
So, you didn’t slip on the carpet? Sweet, maybe we’ll call you “Dropsy” until it sticks.
Whoops, “Dripsy” works better for the gooey pun here.
“Happens all the time in Druid Hills”. Right. About as much as your earlier statement about “all the graffeti” here in Decatur. You may have some insight or something usefull to say, but stop trying to scare people!
David is not trying to scare us, he’s trying to pull us out of our collective ignorance by speaking plainly about the problems our culture faces.
Right on, Bro
Could we start a list of where all this graffiti in Decatur is? I’ll bet the city would appreciate such a list since step 1 in proactive crime control is to get rid of graffiti and garbage and increase lighting so that an area is attractive to non-criminal folks whose presence will hopefully replace the furtive, criminal types. I’ve seen it on the MARTA bridge, which the City probably doesn’t have jurisdiction over, but where else is it? I’ll start keeping my opens for it.
My mailbox is tagged nearly every day by a landscaper or tree surgeon advertising their services. Gang culture!
I am on foot and car all over downtown and the Adair Street-Melrose Ave area and the MARTA bridge over Trinity is the only place I have ever seen “tagged”, in past 25 years (!!) and that appeard only recently.
I wonder if this could by any stretch of the imagination… be linked to the onslaught of 50 DeKalb Alternative kids a month or so back. Could the guy who was hit.. or one of his companions.. been the target?
Any more details about this shooting yet? Cause? Random? Acquaintance shooting? Arrests yet?
I know this is anti-free range parenting but Decatur Rec is hosting a fun-looking preteen/teen pool party from 6-8 PM at Ebster Pool Friday night and, depending on who’s going or not, there may be someone in my family who wants to attend. Normally, my answer would be yes but the pool is just across Ebster field from Electric Ave where the 11 PM shooting occurred. On the other hand, the pool is right behind the police station. There’s a great diverse cohort of kids who’ve been going to each other’s well-chaperoned parties all over town and I want to support the continuation of that phenomenon. I trust Decatur Rec to do this event well. But can I trust that the area is reasonably safe?
Snowflake, I looked into this for you.
DPD says that the investigation is still ongoing and therefore couldn’t provide any info. I asked that they keep me in the loop.
Thanks! Whether or not a family member is brave enough to don a bathing suit for a pool party, there’s a lot of great kids doing a lot of great things in and around Ebster pool, field, gym, and rec center, also at the Community Center, and they need to be safe.