Athens-Clarke County police are investigating a shooting in downtown Athens Thursday night that sent one person to the hospital.
Authorities say the shooting happened at around 11 PM last night in the 300 block of Clayton Street. A seventeen year old male was wounded and taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Around the same time, officers arrested another seventeen year old male who was seen to be leaving the area with a firearm. He has been booked on several gun-related charges. It remains unclear if he was involved in the shooting and the investigation continues.
COVID cases spike in Clarke Schools
The Clarke County School District is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases this month. CCSD reported a total of 576 COVID-19 cases this month- the second highest case count the district has recorded in a 30-day time span since they started tracking cases in November 2020.
This makes up 3.3% of the district’s staff and student body, with 1% of those cases having been reported in the past 7 days.
Most students and staff in Clarke County are not required to wear masks following the Unmask Georgia Students Act which was signed into law earlier this year. The law says that school districts can only have mask mandates if there is an “opt-out” option.
Clarke County School District continues to offer free testing and vaccination opportunities at various locations throughout the district.
Police investigating fentanyl case
Athens police are investigating a second case this summer of a baby exposed to fentanyl.
Police say a six month old child was exposed on August 16 at a home in a neighborhood off Jefferson Road. That child survived the exposure.
In June, a 15 month old overdosed and died after being exposed to narcotics in including fentanyl, opiates and Benzodiazapine at a home on Oak Hill Drive. A 59 year old woman from Elbert County who was babysitting her granddaughter was charged with murder.
Police say 12 people have died from fentanyl this year in Athens and there are other possible cases pending toxicology reports from the State Crime Lab.
Kemp announces $100 million for police
Georgia will give out $100 million in federal COVID-19 money to bolster policing and reduce violence.
On Thursday, Governor Brian Kemp said that local agencies can apply for up to $1.5 million apiece if gun crimes got worse during the pandemic in their communities.
This is the third recent announcement from Kemp about spending federal pandemic relief funds as he runs for reelection. Democrats accuse Kemp of using money he opposed to strengthen himself against opponent Stacey Abrams.
