A Decatur teenager who was 13 when he shot an 11-year-old outside Golden Glide Skating Rink pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years, with seven to serve in custody.

What’s new: On September 8, Cam’ron Mealing pleaded guilty to multiple felonies tied to an April 9, 2022 shooting and two armed robberies minutes later. He has been held in a youth detention center since his 2022 arrest and will be moved to an adult prison.

The case, in plain terms:

  • The shooting: After 11 p.m. on April 9, 2022, police found an 11-year-old unconscious in the Golden Glide parking lot with a gunshot wound to the head. The child survived and continues to face ongoing physical and emotional effects, according to prosecutors.
  • How it unfolded: Witnesses said the victim argued inside with someone in a black hoodie and red ski mask. Video showed the masked shooter chase the victim outside and fire. Investigators say the same person then robbed two people at gunpoint at a nearby fast-food restaurant and left in a stolen car.
  • ID and arrest: After news coverage, community tips identified the shooter as Mealing, who was 13 at the time. He was arrested on April 21, 2022.

Charges and sentence

  • Aggravated assault
  • Aggravated battery
  • Two counts of armed robbery
  • Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
  • Possession of a pistol or revolver by a person under 18 years old

A judge accepted Mealing’s guilty plea and sentenced him to 15 years, with seven to serve in custody under a plea agreement.

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B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.