A 13-year-old boy was shot while lying in his bed when gunfire struck his family’s apartment in south Atlanta early Sunday, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Bullets pierced the apartment unit at Capital Vanira Apartments off Hank Aaron Drive just before 4 a.m. Sunday, striking the boy as he lay in bed. His siblings were inside at the time, including his 10-year-old sister.
The boy’s sister, Asia Battle, said the family did not immediately realize he had been wounded. She said he went to the bathroom, noticed a red spot on his boxers, and pulled them up to look.
“Everybody just got down on the ground, and my mom was saying to get to the bathroom, but I laid on the floor until I didn’t hear no more shots,” Battle said.
The boy was rushed to a local hospital and has since been released to recover at home.
Atlanta police have not released any descriptions of a suspect or identified a potential motive for the gunfire. Investigators have not determined whether the shooters intentionally targeted the family’s unit or whether the incident connects to prior violence at the complex.
Sunday marked the second time gunfire has struck the 13-year-old at the Capital Vanira Apartments. On Sept. 18, 2025, a drive-by shooting outside the same complex wounded four people, including three teenagers and a 12-year-old.
The victim’s older brother, Jaden Battle, was shot in the leg during that September 2025 incident. Atlanta police confirmed there have been no arrests in connection with that shooting.
Asia Battle said she believes her family was targeted and expressed frustration over repeated violence at the property. She said security at the apartments has been virtually nonexistent, and that management did not respond to requests for comment. Atlanta City Councilmember Jason Winston, who represents the district where the complex is located, declined to comment.
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