SAVANNAH, Ga. — Following the Oglethorpe Mall shooting on July 2, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson issued an apology for the miscommunication regarding the charges against two juveniles on Thursday.
The Savannah Police Department initially announced that these two juveniles would face charges for possessing a firearm while being under the age of 18. However, these charges were later revoked.
Johnson gave News 3’s Sarah Smith a statement regarding the charging of the juveniles:
“I believe our communications team acted prematurely. The police, in conjunction with the district attorney, will establish the proper charges at the right time. It’s important to ensure we handle this correctly.
I think that we should not charge until we not only know all who’s involved, but know and understand the extent of their involvement and then charge appropriately. Unfortunately and as fluid as these things are, sometimes things get out quicker without going through all of the channels.
To our community, I apologize and take responsibility for that. You know, we have to communicate singularly in one voice. But, for those who had some feeling that we were letting somebody off the hook, nothing could be further from the truth.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. will continue to update the story as more details are released.
