Really. Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Tim Pounds.
I'm the Sheriff of Douglas County,
along with District Attorney Mr.
Racine died Racine.
It's a sad day in Douglas County
for us in our community today,
ladies and gentlemen,
we have we received a call on March the 4th.
Reference to gunfire.
Once we arrived on the scene, we found a.
I'm gonna say a tremendous scene, my captain.
Mooney worked that case.
They know little bit more
about it in detail than I do.
So I'm going to let him in a second
explain that entire case to you.
Matter of fact,
you goodnight captain with.
Good afternoon.
Yes, it's John, Jon Mooney, MAUNY.
Captain of the Criminal Special
Investigations Division.
On Saturday, March the 4th at 10:41 PM,
the Douglas County Sheriff's Office,
along with EMS were dispatched to Sitka
Drive in reference to shots being fired.
Information was given that
multiple people were shot.
Upon arrival on Sitka, Dr.
Deputies encountered a large
number of persons in the roadway,
woods and vehicles.
Two children were deceased on the scene.
One in the middle of the roadway and another
on a driveway at a house on a cul-de-sac.
The deceased.
Samuel Moon,
15 years of age, 1/10 grader
at Lithia Springs High School.
And a nausea heel.
14 years of age, a 9th grader.
At Douglas County High School.
Additionally,
there were seven other people shot.
Ages ranging from 14 to 19.
They were either transported
to local hospitals by EMS.
Or later arrived at the hospital
on their own for treatment.
It is the understanding of
the Douglas County Sheriff's
Office that a party occurred
at a residence on Sitka Drive.
The number of attendees rapidly grew,
with the majority being middle-aged.
High schoolers or young adults?
The homeowners decided to
shut the party down.
Excuse me? They decided to shut
the party down to to marijuana
use and the growing of the party.
Shortly after the party was stopped,
the shooting occurred approximately 50
yards up the roadway and the cultists
are in the middle of the street.
Sheriff's deputies transported over
80 witnesses to the Sheriff's Office.
There were a large number of people
that attended the party who had left the
scene before law enforcement arrived.
It is imperative that these people reach
out to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
At this time,
the Douglas County Sheriff's Office
is asking for the public's help
and identifying anybody that's
responsible for this.
We were also asking that any witnesses
that have not reached out and spoke
to an investigator to please call
770-920-7139. We will call you with
the information and get that back
and get you up here for an interview.
Thank you, Mr. Smith.
Good afternoon. Name is Dalia Racine,
District Attorney here in Douglas County.
Can't say much at this point as this
is an open investigation open case.
We have yet to receive
this case in our office.
But I want everyone to know that we
intend to thoroughly review the case and
make the appropriate charging decisions.
As we do on every case.
It is absolutely devastating that we
are having this conversation again.
This is an all out assault on our
young people. On our children.
On our babies in our community.
And we have got to figure out a solution.
And I'm not saying this just as
a prosecutor that believes in
the greatness of our community,
because Douglas County is a great community.
But I'm saying this also as a parent
of children the same age as those.
Precious babies that we had to
see dead lying in the street.
Those parents that will forever.
Remember this time as one of
the worst in their lives.
I'm saying this as a parent that truly
believes that we can make this world
a safer place for our kids to exist.
And so I'm asking you,
if you have information,
please come forward.
Give that information so that we
can do the work of seeking justice
for so many that have lost so much.
We do appreciate the efforts of
our law enforcement partners.
We look forward to them turning over
this investigation to our office.
And we do ask our community to step up.
Because we deserve better.
As a community. We deserve better.
And we will make sure that that happens.
And to all the families.
To all the families that are
so deeply impacted and broken.
By this horrific crime.
Know that we are praying for you.
And that we will stand by you.
Throughout this entire process.
Thank you.
Once again, ladies and gentlemen.
This senseless killing should
not have occurred, but it did.
Some of y'all after got kids just this age.
Same age as these children now.
It's just a matter of time.
I'm going to catch them.
It's just going to take me a while to do it,
but I'm going to catch him because we
got to stop this senseless killing.
But I need my community right now to
join in and help me because somebody
out there knows something I'm like,
the Discerner said.
I'm sorry to continue to pray
for us as we pray for the broken
families and if anybody.
No anything.
I'm gonna start off with them off
of $20,000 reward for anybody that
can lead me through the arrest
and prosecution of the person that
was involved in these shootings.
Thank you all so much.
Sure. You might question understand
there's going to be a dashcam
video or some sort of video
that's going to be released.
Can we can we talk about
what we're going to see?
Captain, you got that video?
Talk to him, man.
For responding officers,
our IT department has pulled snippets
of their video out of the response of
them coming into the neighborhood.
Obviously, there are some
things we can't show due to the
graphic nature of things. Mr.
Jelinski will provide a link to all
the different agencies that are here, so you
can download that. So we will be
seeing the gathering of the crowd.
You'll see some of the crowd.
This was a this was a huge scene.
This went from one roadway down to
another roadway, down a cul-de-sac.
And based off of our information at
this point and the initial information,
people scattered.
People went everywhere.
They went to the woods,
they went behind houses,
they circled back around houses
coming back up the roadway.
There were people everywhere.
I mean, I know it's an open investigation,
but can you speak at all about
the shootings themselves?
Were they in any way targeted? Was random.
Can you speak to that a little more?
We don't know that information yet.
We're working to figure that
out. You know, parents who threw
the party have any criminal
culpability in this matter.
Not at this time.
What about a video doorbell says
that help you in that community?
I notice some out there.
We have spoken to every neighbor
that was available at the time.
And we do have some evidence that
we hear attained that way. Yes.
Another similar shooting.
There was some party this was that
would be at one point we called it an
Airbnb but learned that it wasn't.
Another young man killed the third one.
This county is seen, I think,
in about a year or so.
What's going on?
It's a root cause.
Of these children killing children.
And we must as a community and that
the sheriff figured that caused out
and addressed that cause immediately.
His children own children.
OK. Thank you.