Another teenage girl has been killed in Atlantis, three months after a similar incident in the region.
On Saturday, a 15-year-old girl was shot and killed after being caught in crossfire in Sherwood Park. A 48-year-old was injured in that shooting.
Detectives in Atlantis confirmed that no arrests have been made at this stage, as a murder and attempted murder docket is being investigated.
The local Community Policing Forum (CPF) said the hearts of locals are heavy following the incident. And while police have yet to confirm what it suspects the motive behind the attack is, the Atlantis CPF’s Noel Cloete suspects gang violence is the cause.
“A fifteen-year-old girl who lost her life due to these senseless acts of gang violence in our area. We as the community really need to stand together to put an end to this senseless acts and brutal acts of violence in our area,” said Cloete.
The ward councillor, Allister Lightburn, reiterated the belief that the shooting was gang-related, noting that this incident comes amid rival gang shootings. He said the girl was coming from a church youth event at the time of the incident.
He also remembered the shooting outside Atlantis Secondary School in February, in which a 14-year-old girl was killed.
ALSO READ: Escalating gun violence in Atlantis; Two shot at the weekend – Smile 90.4FM
“This must be condemned in the strongest terms and the perpetrators should be brought [to] book. A family have been robbed of a daughter. Our plea is to our community to really unite and say enough is enough. We cannot allow criminals to rule over us and our children,” said Lightburn.
