The 14-year-old was found shot in a vacant lot near Fayetteville Road SE.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Atlanta police are searching for a gunman after a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed early Sunday in a vacant lot behind a southeast Atlanta strip mall.
The shooting has opened a homicide investigation near the intersection of Flat Shoals Road and Fayetteville Road SE. Police said the case remains open and active, and no suspect information had been released by Monday.
Officers responded around 1:05 a.m. Sunday to the area near 1056 Fayetteville Road SE after a report of a person shot. They found the teen with multiple gunshot wounds in a vacant lot behind the shopping area. Officers tried to stabilize him at the scene until medical crews arrived.
The boy was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Police have not said what led to the shooting, whether the teen was alone when he was shot or whether investigators have recovered a weapon. Detectives returned to the area Monday as they continued looking for evidence.
A youth mentor, Joel Carrick, identified the victim as Sire Reeves, 14. Carrick said he had mentored Reeves for years and described him as a steady volunteer who helped others in the community. “For the past several years, Sire was always willing to help,” Carrick wrote in a tribute.
A memorial with poster boards and handwritten messages was placed outside a storefront near the scene. One message read, “Forever Fourteen.” Another said, “God is forever with him. So are we. R.I.P.” A nearby parent said the killing had shaken the area and added, “Too many of our young kids are dying for nothing.”
Investigators are expected to review surveillance video from nearby businesses as they work to identify who fired the shots. Atlanta police had not announced an arrest as of Monday evening.
Author note: Last updated June 16, 2026.