In the heat of a Fourth of July afternoon in 2017, while the sounds of celebration filled the air, a tragedy unfolded inside a northwest Atlanta apartment that would cut short the life of a promising young boy. Ten-year-old Sincere Jordan, a beloved son and honor student, was visiting a friend at the Rolling Bends Apartments on Etheridge Drive, the same complex where he lived.
It was a place he knew well, but on this day, a gathering of children without adult supervision would have devastating consequences.
Sincere, who had just celebrated his tenth birthday the month prior, was in a room with three other children when a single gunshot tragically ended his life. The bullet struck him in the head, and despite being rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, he could not be saved. His family described him as a nice, respectful boy who loved football and school, and he had recently made the honor roll at Peyton Forest Elementary School. That very morning, an officer with the Atlanta Police Athletic League had stopped by his apartment to take him to the Peachtree Road Race, a testament to his involvement in the community.
In the aftermath of the shooting, an investigation revealed that the children had been handling a gun. Police later determined that the fatal shot was accidentally fired by an 11-year-old child who was present in the room. The focus of the investigation soon turned to the accessibility of the firearm.
This led to the arrest of 31-year-old Shatora Jones, the mother of two of the children in the apartment at the time of the shooting, including the 11-year-old who fired the weapon. Jones, who was not present when the incident occurred, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, and first-degree cruelty to children. Authorities stated that the gun belonged to her and had not been properly secured, making it accessible to the children. Following the shooting, an unidentified man reportedly removed the gun from the scene, and police continued to search for him. Jones was taken to the Fulton County Jail, and a bond was set at $25,000.
