7-Year-Old Georgia Girl Dies From Stray Bullet While Christmas Shopping With Guardians

A 7-year-old girl was the unfortunate casualty of a shooting incident while she was Christmas shopping with her family in Buckhead. The girl was identified as Kennedy Maxie who died on Saturday night at the Children’s Healthcare at Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

Kennedy was shot at the back of the head while she and her family were driving near the Atlanta Phipps Plaza. Her aunt was the one behind the wheel at the time and drove through the gunfire.

At some point, she realized something off about her niece who was acting strangely. It was only here when she realized that the 7-year-old was shot and was rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kennedy had been in critical condition since the shooting that happened last Monday evening. The tragic loss comes happened in the middle of a spate of shootings that have been happening around the area with locals struggling to check the spike of violence as 2020 comes to a close.

There have been 155 homicides across the city, making 2020 the deadliest year for Atlanta since 1998. That year, the Atlanta Police Department investigated 154 deaths aside from 99 homicides in all of 2019.

"Our hearts are broken by the senseless murder of Kennedy," Keisha Lance Bottoms, the city’s mayor, said. “While the Atlanta Police Department has significant leads in the apprehension of those responsible, it does not erase the pain felt when a beautiful, vibrant, and loving child is tragically taken from her family. We urge the public to continue to provide information that will lead to the arrests of the careless and heartless people responsible for Kennedy’s death.”

Authorities are launching efforts to get some leads to the case. However, this has not eased the pain that the Kennedy’s have to bear, losing a loved one to senseless shooting.

Further to the report, the car (Lexus) is not believed to be the target of gunfire. The shooting allegedly erupted in the parking lot stemming from a parking lot dispute.