Whereas Christmas is usually a festive and celebratory time for families worldwide, today Atlanta family is suffering a major unfortunate tragedy and the holiday will never be the same. Seven-year-old Kennedy Maxie of Mableton happened to be riding in a Nissan with her mother and aunt when as they rode past Phipps Plaza, she was hit by a stray bullet in the back of her head.
The family has released a photo of their young daughter who is now in critical condition after Monday night’s incident. In the meantime, several elected officials have been pointing the fingers at city hall, specifically Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, about the emergence of violence and crime. “It is obvious that the civilian authorities do not control the streets and cannot provide even a token feeling of safety,” veteran councilman Howard Shook wrote in a statement. “It will take a lot to turn this around. But here….are the three things we need to begin: Leadership; Some leadership; Any leadership.”
This is 7-year-old Kennedy Maxie. She was shot in the head while she was in the car with family passing Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Police believe an argument in the area of the mall lead to her being hit by the stray bullet. There’s a $15,000 reward for info @FOX5Atlanta pic.twitter.com/HR7Z6zCabZ
— Eric Perry (@Ericperrytv) December 23, 2020
A reward worth $15,000 has been set in place for any information leading to the arrests of anyone involved in the incident. Speaking on the incident, interim Police Chief Rodney Bryant said “Once again we’re addressing a situation of a senseless shooting that we believe arose from individuals unable to resolve a situation civilly.”
Criticisms continue to arise from the community surrounding the unfortunate incident, including now from frequent ATL advocate and super-producer Jermaine Dupri. Seemingly fed up with what’s going on in his city, Dupri is calling for unity from the city’s residents and for the police to crack down much harder.

Prayers up to Kennedy Maxie and her family and we hope she pulls through better than ever!