Georgia law enforcement is investigating a shooting in Atlanta where the only witness was a child, according to local media reports.

The shooting, which happened on Thursday night on Bent Creek Way in southern Atlanta, left one person with multiple gunshot wounds after two men were seen getting into an argument in an apartment unit. The Atlanta Police Department said the only witness to the crime was a 9-year-old child, reported WSBTV.

The APD was reported by WSBTV to have said that the argument escalated into a fight at around 11:1 p.m., which resulted in one man being shot multiple times, before the attacker ran away. The Atlanta Police Department is reported to still be looking for him.

The shooting victim was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in an ambulance, and is reportedly in a stable condition. Police told local media that he required surgery.

Newsweek contacted the APD for comment outside of normal working hours.

The shooting comes after a similar event at the Peachtree Center food court, where four people were shot before Atlanta police arrived on the scene.

Gun violence has continued to be a significant issue in Atlanta. In 2023, Atlanta’s violent crime rate was 1,092 per 100,000 residents, which was significantly higher than the national average of 398 per 100,000 residents.

Gun restriction legislation is weaker in Georgia than most other states, with gun safety campaigners Everytown ranking it 46th in the U.S. for gun law strength. The state has a “Shoot First” law, which permits the killing of another person in a public area if they pose a serious threat, even if the opportunity to walk away safely is available.

In Georgia, an average of 1,927 people die each year because of guns, making it the state with the 15th highest rate of gun deaths in the U.S. 45 percent of these deaths are homicides, while 52 percent are suicides. Between 2013 and 2022, the rate of gun deaths in the state increased by 56 percent.

Much of this violence is felt by the state’s child population, with guns being the leading cause of death among children and teens across Georgia. An average of 205 children die due to guns every year, with 28 percent of that number being suicide, and 66 percent being homicides. This is roughly equivalent to the same breakdown for children across the U.S., where 63 percent of child deaths by gun are a result of violence.

Gun violence costs the state $23.9 billion a year, or the equivalent of just over $2,200 dollars per person. Over half a billion if this is paid directly by taxpayers.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about gun violence in your area? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.

By Jack Bezants At Mercedes-benz Stadium, Atlanta

Published: 05:12 BST, 21 June 2024 | Updated: 05:13 BST, 21 June 2024

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the grass was to blame for his team’s underwhelming performance in the 2-0 Copa America win over Canada on Thursday.

The artificial turf at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of NFL team Atlanta Falcons, was changed to grass two days ago – after Atlanta United had played on the artificial turf – and Scaloni said it was why his team were leaving passes under-hit and struggling to control the ball.

After going in at halftime goalless and Canada impressing, Argentina secured victory with two goals created by Lionel Messi and scored by Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.

‘Respectfully, thank goodness we won, because otherwise it would have been a cheap excuse to sit here and say this,’ Scaloni fumed after the game.

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‘We knew we were going to play here for seven months and they changed the grass two days ago. For the show it’s not good. I’m sorry. 

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the grass hindered his team in the win over Canada

Lionel Messi created two goals but his team stuttered to a 2-0 win in the Copa America

‘The stadium is beautiful, and with the synthetic grass it should be spectacular, but with today’s grass it was not suitable for these type of players.’

Scaloni said his players struggled to play at the tempo he expected because of the condition of the field, saying: ‘Look at the passing speed of our centre-backs and you realize how the grass was.

‘From above everything looks nice, from below it doesn’t. I hope the other pitches are not like that – I imagine that the others will be fine. And perhaps here something could have been done earlier and not against the clock.’

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez agreed with his coach, saying: ‘The pitch wasn’t great. It was very bumpy.

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‘It was hard for us. We normally like the pitch to be quite slippery and quick for our game, our style.’

Canada coach Jesse Marsch, meanwhile, was unhappy with how long Argentina took to come out for the second half and said they were watching video on how to break his team down.

‘Argentina should be fined, you can write that,’ he said. ‘How late were they? 20 minutes?’

Canada boss Jesse Marsch wants Argentina to be fined for being late for the second half

But he praised his team for how difficult they made life for the defending Copa America champions, saying: ‘We made it very hard, we could have had the lead. We mostly learned that we can play with these teams.’

Canada should have snatched the lead before halftime, when Cyle Larin’s chipped ball from the byline was met by Stephen Eustaquio, but his header from six yards was beaten away by Martinez.

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It was a huge let off for Argentina, and how different things might have been if the Porto man had put it away. But Canada impressed for large parts of the game – just their third under Marsch’s guidance.

Next, Argentina play Chile at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday – the venue where the 2026 World Cup final will be held – while Chile take on Peru. 

While it was just rumors and speculation, two-time all defensive guard Alex Caruso had been rumored as a potential trade target for the Atlanta Hawks this offseason. Now, Caruso is being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason’s first blockbuster trade. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell trade just minutes ago that sends Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey.

Here is what else Wojnarowski had to say about the trade:

“The trade delivers the Thunder one of the league’s most coveted role players, a 30-year old guard who GM Sam Presti has long pursued for the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed. Caruso’s arrival could be seen as an addition comparable to the Golden State Warriors acquisition of Andre Iguodala in 2013. Both were 30 years old.

The Bulls have been determined to find a playmaker to replace Lonzo Ball, and Giddey , 21, comes with an All-Star potential that would unlikely be realized with the Thunder because of the playmaking starpower who surrounded him. The Bulls will offer him an opportunity to have the ball in his hands and so much more freedom pass and score.

Caruso is entering the final year of his deal and becomes eligible for a four-year, approximately $80M extension exactly six months from the date of this trade. The Thunder made the trade with the hope to have Caruso as an integral player for the long-term.”

This is obviously massive news across the league, as it gives the Thunder a huge piece to try and go win a championship this season while the Bulls get a young player in return. While there were no real reports linking Caruso to the Hawks, it was easy to see him as a potential fit next to Trae Young, as a point-of-attack defender (something Atlanta sorely needs) and a good three-point shooter. Caruso could make a weak defense better, but now he will hope to make a really good defense the best in the league.

Bleacher Report analyst Grant Hughes listed Caruso as the top “ambitious” trade candidate for the Hawks this offseason:

“The Atlanta Hawks seem likely to bust up the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt, but it’s unclear which of the two guards is likeliest to go. If it’s Murray who winds up leaving via trade, Atlanta should focus on supporting Young with the best defensive running mate possible.

That sounds like Alex Caruso, an All-Defensive honoree in each of the last two seasons.

Caruso’s current team, the Chicago Bulls, already have Coby White in place as their point guard. That means a Murray-for-Caruso swap wouldn’t make sense. Atlanta could send Murray to a destination in greater need of his services and reroute some of the assets to the Bulls in a package for the star stopper.

No guard who logged at least 25 games last season posted a higher Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus than Caruso, who rates as one of the rare backcourt players whose impact approaches that of the typically more valuable paint-protecting big man. His ability to disrupt at the point of attack, blow up screening actions and force opposing ball-handlers away from their spots can change the outcome of entire games.

Murray overlapped more than expected with Young, and the Hawks didn’t look nearly different enough after adding him at the 2023 trade deadline. Caruso would bring a more fundamental change to Atlanta’s makeup, adding an element of predatory defense that simply hasn’t been there.”

Now that Caruso is off the board, the Hawks will have to look elsewhere.