Georgia Teen Shot By Undercover Police During Drug Deal

A drug deal ended in gunfire, and a teenager was in the hospital with charges after he was shot by an undercover police officer.

The suspect was shot by undercover officers in the buttocks on Saturday evening in SW Atlanta, authorities confirmed.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will investigate the incident in its review of the officer-involved shooting that took place near Northside Drive and McDaniel Street.

Police shot 18-year-old Keyuntae Whitaker, who they say was armed with a gun. 

Plainclothes officers, who were part of a “crime suppression unit,” said they saw a man selling drugs to another person near a Texaco gas station around 7 p.m.

“They observed a hand-to-hand transaction went to stop the two individuals that they believed to be involved. Upon exiting the patrol vehicle, they noticed one of the males had a gun in his hands,” Major David Villaroel.

The GBI said both men then ran through the Village at Castleberry Hills apartment complex. Villaroel said officers approached and gave the teen several orders to drop his gun, but he didn’t comply.

The GBI said Whitaker attempted to jump over a fence while holding the gun in his hand.

“The subject tried to jump the fence, still having the weapon in hand, officer is still giving commands to drop the weapon. The officer subsequently discharged his weapon and struck the mail the 18-year-old male in the rear buttocks,” Villaroel continued.

Paramedics took the suspect to Grady Hospital. The charges he faces have not been released, Fox5 Atlanta News reported.