3 teens arrested after altercation led to shooting at Forsyth apartments, cops say

The Forsyth Police Department has released records regarding three minors who were arrested in connection to a shooting that left two of them injured in June in Forsyth.

Three teenagers were allegedly involved in a “verbal altercation” related to drugs, in which a 16-year-old suspect and 17-year-old suspect were injured, according to an incident report and Lt. Thomas Terrence.

“It was determined that 3 juveniles had been involved in a verbal altercation that escalated into shots being fired between them,” police said on Facebook Wednesday, when the investigation concluded.

What happened

A 17-year-old boy shot an armed 16-year-old boy, then another 16-year-old boy shot the 17-year-old, according to Terrence.

Officers were dispatched to the scene after a 911 call reported a person shot around 11:15 p.m. on June 20, at Forsyth Gardens, an apartment community at 500 Cabiness Road.

A crowd of people were running and screaming when officers arrived. Bystanders, including a victim’s father, directed police to a 17-year-old boy with a shirt wrapped around his leg where he was shot, an incident report said.

While Cpl. Kentavious D. Gates wrapped a tourniquet around the wound, the 17-year-old and bystanders told Gates the name of a 16-year-old who allegedly shot him.

People directed officers to a white Honda Accord at the scene, which had a “pocket-sized weighing [scale]” and a carrying bag, Gates said in the incident report.

“Due to the amount of attention that individuals in the area brought to this particular vehicle, I did believe this vehicle was involved in the previous aggravated assault incident,” Gates wrote.

Another vehicle had a bullet hole and a shell casing nearby, which was used as evidence, police said.

Two suspects fled the scene, including the 16-year-old who allegedly shot the 17-year-old, and the injured 16-year-old that allegedly didn’t shoot anyone but was armed, according to Terrence.

Then the mother of the alleged 16-year-old shooter called 911 to report where to find him, Terrence said.

Officers responded to their home at Union Hill Apartments on the 200 block of Union Hill Drive, where the teen’s mother let police inside and they took him into custody, according to an incident report.

When he was arrested, his phone fell face-up, and Gates saw a text message that said, “Bc if they find that gun in yo house yo ass over with,” the incident report said. Police took the phone as evidence.

Several hours later, the alleged 16-year-old shooter “escorted” law enforcement to the back of an abandoned home at 358 Brookwood Drive, where he reportedly “attempted to dispose of his firearm that he used in the previous shooting incident,” Gates said in the incident report. Police found the gun, then the teen was “released to the custody of his mother.”

The 17-year-old who shot first “turned himself in and he was released” from custody due to medical issues, Terrence said.

None of the suspects were being held in jail, according to Terrence.

One teen was charged with aggravated assault and theft by taking, the police department said on Facebook. Two other two teens were each charged with possession of a handgun by a person under the age of 21.

One of the guns involved in the incident was reportedly stolen, Terrence said.

The police department’s Criminal Investigations Division concluded an initial investigation by Wednesday, officers said on Facebook. Amanda Hammock, special agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, was still investigating the shooting Monday.

This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM.