More Police to Patrol During Atlanta High School Football Games

If you’re heading out to a high school football game in Atlanta tonight, be prepared to see more police officers around.

Atlanta Public Schools has stepped up the law enforcement presence around all high school football stadiums after two people were shot outside a Grady High School football game last week. An argument between two groups of people got violent when one person pulled out a gun and started shooting.

Witnesses told police that just before 11 p.m., a group of two groups of people began arguing at the intersection of Monroe Drive and 8th Street when one of the men in a group of black males pulled out a gun and started shooting. The witness and his cousin ran into a nearby building, where it was discovered that the cousin had been shot in the back.

Another victim told police that he was walking down Monroe Drive towards 8th Street when he was confronted by a group of males. One of the suspects asked the victim “Do you have a problem?” and shot at the victim when he said he did not have a problem.

A woman driving down 8th Street towards Monroe Drive was caught in the crossfire and wounded by a bullet grazing her head and another which hit her shin, according to the report. All told, police found 24 shell casings and two fragments of .40 caliber bullets and recovered a vehicle which could have been used by suspects.

APS officials tell WSB-TV that fans should expect to see more police in and around each stadium, and will encounter more patrols in the area to help protect pedestrians and snuff out trouble before it gets out of hand.