A stray bullet struck a young boy in the hand late Friday night in Atlanta's Ormewood Park neighborhood, and police have arrested a 55-year-old man in connection with the shooting. The boy was awake and breathing when authorities arrived, and an ambulance rushed him to a hospital.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the incident happened around 11:32 p.m. Friday at Trestletree Village Apartments in the 900 block of Trestletree Court SE. Investigators said an argument at the complex led to gunfire, though police have not detailed what sparked the dispute in the first place.
Atlanta police identified the man arrested as 55-year-old Willie Stroud, who was charged in connection with the shooting. Officers have not released the specific charges filed against him, nor have they released the boy's name or exact age.
What Remains Unknown
Much about the case is still unclear. Police have not said what led to the argument that preceded the gunfire, and they have not disclosed the boy's condition beyond confirming he was awake and breathing before being taken to the hospital by ambulance. The exact nature of the charges against Stroud also has not been made public.
The shooting adds to a string of recent gunfire incidents in southeast Atlanta. Earlier in October, two people were shot on the 1600 block of Lakewood Avenue SE and were described as alert, conscious and breathing when officers arrived, according to a prior Hoodline report. In September, a teenager was fatally shot in what police called an isolated incident in southeast Atlanta, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A Citywide Pattern of Non-Fatal Shootings
Citywide data shows a mixed picture for Atlanta's violent crime trends. Atlanta's 2025 homicide count stayed under 100 for the first time since before the pandemic, but non-fatal shootings, assaults and robberies remained concerns for the police department, according to CBS Atlanta. Children caught in the crossfire of disputes that aren't their own has become a recurring theme in the city's crime coverage; CBS Atlanta separately reported that a 13-year-old boy was shot inside an Atlanta apartment after someone fired into the home from outside.
Stray gunfire striking bystanders isn't unique to Atlanta. In North Carolina, a 68-year-old woman was fatally struck by a stray bullet while sitting on her back porch in Gastonia, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. And in Augusta, a juvenile was hit by a ricochet bullet in an incident the Richmond County Sheriff's Office is still investigating, according to WJBF.
No further details about Stroud's booking or the status of the boy's recovery have been released. Hoodline will update this story as police release additional information.
