Nine children injured in shooting outside Georgia gas station

Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Nine children, including a five-year-old boy, were shot and injured outside a Georgia gas station, authorities said Saturday.

All of the victims, ranging in age from 5 to 17, were taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries after the late Friday incident in Columbus, Ga., located about 105 miles southwest of Atlanta.

Police said the shootings occurred outside a Shell station just after 10 p.m. When they arrived they found seven boys and two girls with gunshot wounds.

No arrests had been made as of mid-day Saturday.

"The rash of gun violence involving our youth is impacting communities across the country," Columbus Police Chief Freddie Blackmon said at press briefing. "While Columbus is not immune to these incidents, I want to assure citizens that the men and women of CPD are tirelessly working to get violent offenders off our streets.

"It is going to take a community effort to combat gun violence in our city. The entire village has a responsibility because incidents like this impacts all of us," he said.

Blackmon said he believes the incident began as an altercation at a nearby party.

"I just get tired of seeing folks when they have a disagreement or an argument, or even a fist-fight, they think they have to reach for a gun and go to deadly force," Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson said at the press conference.