GPNA Steering Committee Meeting

A pregnant woman was with her toddler when someone shot and killed her outside an apartment complex in Athens. The shooting late Monday happened just a couple miles away from the University of Georgia’s campus, but police said it is not related to the university.  It happened at an apartment complex on Carriage Court, and police are not allowing anyone near the complex. Police said the woman and her unborn child didn’t make it.  Authorities confirmed to Channel 2 Action News the mother's name as 24-year-old Auriel Callaway. We're LIVE at the scene as police work to find answers in this tragic shooting, on Channel 2 Action News This Morning Live@430am in Athens where a young mother who was pregnant and holding her two year old son was shot and killed #wsbtvpic.twitter.com/bzKwkNdVHh — Darryn Moore (@DarrynMooreWSB) July 23, 2019

Police in Decatur are investigating after “doorbell camera” devices were ripped off the front of several homes in one neighborhood. The Ring devices can take and store video of a home’s doorways in real time, and sometimes capture crimes such as package thefts and break-ins. But in at least three recent Decatur cases, the cameras were the subject of the crime, and took video of the moments up until they were stolen. Police believe the same person pried cameras off at least two Oakhurst homes on June 18 and July 19. It’s not clear if the thief wanted the cameras themselves, or if the thefts could be precursors for other crimes, Decatur police spokeswoman Lt. Jennifer Ross said. In the June 18 incident, a resident on Fourth Avenue was woken up at about 5:15 a.m. by a sound on his porch. He checked his Ring system and saw a person walk up and rip the device out, Ross said.   The next morning, he found that his car had been stolen from the street. DeKalb County police found it abandoned about 10 days later. Last Friday night, a resident of East Pharr Road reported a similar theft. About 11:20 p.m., he got an alert on his Ring doorbell system, “and upon reviewing the video footage observed a hand reaching towards his camera,” Ross said. The Ring camera at the home across the street, which might have captured the incident, was also stolen, Ross said. Decatur police are unable to investigate that specific case because it is the city of Atlanta’s jurisdiction. Two days later, on Sunday about 11 a.m., a South McDonough Street resident reported her camera was missing as well. The last recording, taken Friday night, shows a man in a hoodie use a tool to pry the camera away. Investigators believe he is the same person who stole the Ring camera on Fourth Avenue, Ross said. MORE DEKALB NEWS: » 3 teens convicted in fatal armed robbery of 20-year-old DeKalb man » Popular Atlanta corridor repaved as lanes see safety improvements Anyone who recognizes him or has more information about the incidents is asked to contact Investigator Robert Lindsey at robert.lindsey@decaturga.com or 678-553-6628, or remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477). Ross said police do not know whether the camera thefts are setting the stage for further crimes, “but we are not ruling that out.” Decatur is not one of the police departments that has a formal relationship with Ring, where officers and investigators have access to the footage users upload to Ring’s app. Dunwoody, Brookhaven and DeKalb County police are already partners with Ring, and Ross said Decatur is “looking into it.” “We regularly receive Ring footage, as well as from other home surveillance camera brands, from members of our community,” she said. Follow DeKalb County News on Facebook and Twitter  In other news:

A pregnant Georgia mother was holding her 2-year-old son’s hand when she was shot and killed at an Athens apartment complex Monday night, WSB-TV reported. >> Read more trending news The unborn baby did not survive, Athens-Clarke County police Deputy Chief Jerry Saulters told the news station. Bystanders were already attempting CPR when authorities arrived at the Clarke Garden apartments on Carriage Court just after 9:30 p.m., police said. It is not known if she died at the scene or if she was taken to a hospital. She was identified by police as 24-year-old Auriel Callaway. The 2-year-old was unharmed and is being cared for by relatives, Saulters said.  Investigators do not know if she was the intended target of the gunfire. They are going door-to-door at the complex Tuesday morning looking for any witnesses.  “We’re trying to get information about what happened, what led up to it,” Saulters said. – Please return to AJC.com or WSBTV.com for the latest on this developing story.

An Indiana mother is facing a child neglect charge after police said she left her young son inside a hot car while she met with the Department of Child Services at an Anderson doctor's office. >> Read more trending news According to WXIN-TV, Jennifer Kay Ost, 27, brought her newborn son to a pediatrician appointment and interview with child welfare workers at Community Pediatrics about 2:40 p.m. July 16, just days after authorities said she had given birth to the baby and signed him out of Decatur County Memorial Hospital against doctors' recommendations. The Milroy woman was 'belligerent' and swore at a DCS worker during the meeting, court documents said. Nearly two hours into Ost's interview, authorities responded to a report of a young boy in a hot car outside Community Hospital, where the pediatrician's office is located, WRTV reported. A hospital police officer saw the boy watching a movie inside the vehicle, which was unlocked with closed windows as outside temperatures reached 86 degrees, authorities said. The officer removed the child from the car and learned that Ost was his mother, according to WRTV. Police arrested Ost, who said she decided to leave her son in the vehicle after he refused to go into the doctor's office, WXIN reported. Both boys are now in DCS custody, officials said. Read more here or here.

A pregnant mother was holding her 2-year-old son’s hand when she was shot and killed at an Athens apartment complex on Monday night, police said. The unborn baby did not survive, Athens-Clarke County police Deputy Chief Jerry Saulters told Channel 2 Action News. Bystanders were already attempting CPR when authorities arrived at the Clarke Garden apartments on Carriage Court just after 9:30 p.m. The woman, identified by police as 24-year-old Auriel Callaway, was taken to a local hospital, where she died.  The 2-year-old was unharmed and is being cared for by relatives, Saulters said.  Investigators do not know if Callaway was the intended target of the gunfire. They are going door-to-door at the complex Tuesday morning looking for any witnesses.  “We’re trying to get information about what happened, what led up to it,” Saulters told the news station from the scene. We are working to learn more.  — Please return to AJC.com for updates.  In other news: 

Kids learning to play tennis in the city of South Fulton, Georgia, had a special visitor at summer camp: legend Venus Williams. >> Need something to lift your spirits? Read more uplifting news Williams surprised students at the South Fulton Tennis Center on Monday afternoon. 'I love to be out here with the kids and the kids enjoy it, too. It keeps me motivated. Hopefully, we see some future stars come out of this,' she said. >> Read more trending news 'It was like the best thing ever,' camper Ranan Givhan told WSB-TV anchor Wendy Corona.  Williams is in the town for BB&T Atlanta Open, where she played in an exhibition match Sunday. 'Atlanta is a tennis town. I don't get here too often, but when I do, I try to do as much as I can,' Williams said. Corona was there for Williams' visit as it put a spotlight on funding new city courts. There are 24 courts at the tennis center and renovating them would cost about $600,000, according to the city. Leaders hope the visit from Williams could help show why it's important. 'It only solidifies that this is a facility that is up and coming and has the attention of many,' District 3 Councilwoman Helen Willis said.  Hundreds of kids use the court daily and the city is in the running for a $300,000 grant from the U.S Tennis Association. Willis hope to have construction on the courts started within a year. Of course, that is good news for Givhan and other players who aspire to be tennis stars like Williams.  'I want to get a college degree, playing tennis, so my parents don't have to pay and I can make it easier for their lives,' Givhan said.