Gov. Brian Kemp says he called up the National Guard after ‘weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the City of Atlanta’
Kemp, a Republican, said the executive order follows “weeks of dramatically increased violent crime and property destruction in the City of Atlanta.”
The governor’s statement says more than 30 Georgians were wounded by gunfire over the extended holiday weekend, including five people who died.
“We’ve had over 75 shootings in the city over the past several weeks,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said when talking about the 8-year-old’s death on Sunday. “You can’t blame that on APD (Atlanta Police Department).”
“Peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead,” Kemp said in a statement. “This lawlessness must be stopped and order restored in our capital city.”