3-Year-Old Boy Found Allegedly Shot At Georgia Hotel; Man And Woman Arrested

A 3-year-old boy was allegedly shot inside a Georgia hotel. A man and woman were arrested and are facing charges in connection with the incident, the Douglasville Police Department said Sunday.

The incident reportedly unfolded at the Intown Suites Extended Stay hotel in Lithia Springs on Saturday. Paramedics received a report about an injured child and arrived at the scene at around 9:30 a.m., according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The person who made the 911 call had claimed the 3-year-old boy hit his head on a refrigerator. However, paramedics saw the child's injuries and believed they were not consistent with the story provided to them, Douglasville Police Chief Gary Sparks told WSB-TV.

"EMS was dispatched to Intown Suites in Lithia Springs for an injured child. Upon arrival EMS requested law enforcement. The child, a three-year-old male, was transported to a hospital," the statement by the police department read.

Officials began investigating the incident and strongly suspected the child was shot. Further investigation and interviews led to the arrests of two suspects, though their relationship with the victim was not clear.

"After conducting interviews and processing the crime scene, detectives have charged 23-year-old Devante Porter and 29-year-old Jermecia Martin for their involvement in the shooting of a three-year-old child on 1/21/23," the police department said in an update.

Details about the child's injuries or his condition were not revealed either.

"Both Porter and Martin have been charged with: Aggravated Assault, Cruelty to Children 2nd degree, Reckless Conduct, False Statements, and Tampering with Evidence," police added.

A social media user name Dasha Scott commented on the police department's statement on Facebook and said they were related to the victim.

"The victim is my 3-year-old nephew. He's in PICU fighting for his life," Scott wrote. " ... Please keep my nephew and his mom in your prayers."

In an unrelated incident reported last year, a woman and a 4-year-old child were found dead inside a Maryland hotel room with gunshot wounds. The victims were identified as 40-year-old Elise Wars and her daughter, Khori Ashton. Javon Hines, 22, described as an "acquaintance of Wars," was arrested for the incident, the police said.