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Police chief: 'Our children deserve better' following fight after football game leads to shooting

A 12-year-old and 16-year-old were shot Saturday near Lakewood Stadium

ATLANTA — Police are still trying to determine who pulled the trigger in a double shooting after a high school football game on Saturday night.

Now, the police chief has issued a stern message regarding the incident. 

Just before 9:30 p.m., Atlanta police officers responded to the shooting calls off Claire Drive in southeast Atlanta. 

A 12-year-old boy was transported in critical condition for treatment of two gunshot wounds, but has since been stabilized. 

The second juvenile, identified by police as a 16-year-old boy, was transported by his mother to Atlanta Medical Center South in stable condition for treatment of a gunshot wound and was released that same night.

RELATED: 12-year-old stable after shooting near Lakewood Stadium following high school football game

Police believe both are students in the Atlanta Public Schools system, but that has not been confirmed.

Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said the shooting is very disturbing. 

"Regardless of whether the shooting happened inside an Atlanta Public Schools facility, or later on a city street, we all have a solemn responsibility to care for our children and ensure to the best of our collective abilities that they are shielded from this kind of violence by providing the appropriate level of security," Shields said. "We simply have to do better to identify potential issues at these events and work together to try to prevent them. Our children deserve better."

Investigators from the Atlanta Police Department’s Gun Assault Unit also responded to the scene to locate evidence and interview witnesses.

RELATED: 'We just dropped to the floor': Neighbors recount shooting that left 2 boys hurt after football game

"There was very little cooperation from witnesses, but investigators believe the incident began as a fight between unknown parties as people were leaving the game," police said in a news release.

They said it is unclear if the 12-year-old and the 16-year-old were involved in the fight, or were uninvolved bystanders struck by gunfire intended for someone else.

"Investigators have received information that the fight may have been a continuation of multiple fights that broke out inside the nearby football stadium during a game between Carver and Mays high schools," police went on to say. 

They are checking for any surveillance video that may have captured the shooting and continue to look for witnesses who are willing to provide information.

No arrests have been made and no suspects have been developed yet.

Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477). Anyone providing information leading to an arrest and indictment is eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

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