A suspect, William Anthony Mitchell, has been arrested in connection with a shooting that injured 11 people in Savannah’s downtown historic district. Mitchell has been charged with four counts of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm while committing a crime. The police are still searching for other persons of interest related to the incident. The shooting occurred after an argument between two women, resulting in multiple individuals opening fire in Ellis Square, a popular area for tourists. While no one was killed, 10 people were shot and another was injured by shattered glass from a car window.
William Anthony Mitchell was already facing felony charges related to possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute before being arrested for the Ellis Square shootings. Mitchell’s attorney, Greg Crawford, declined to comment on the case. The violence in Ellis Square was part of a series of shootings that occurred in Savannah over the weekend, resulting in two deaths and a total of 14 injuries. This incident marks the worst mass shooting in Georgia’s oldest city since June 2021, when one person was killed and seven were wounded in a similar shooting outside an apartment complex in Savannah.
Mayor Van Johnson has attributed the increase in gun violence to the easy access to firearms in Georgia. He criticized the state’s permissive laws that allow individuals to carry firearms without permits, claiming that guns do play a role in gun violence. Johnson, a former police officer and Democrat, supports city ordinances that aim to make gun owners more responsible while respecting their Second Amendment rights. In April, Savannah’s City Council passed a measure making it illegal to leave guns in unlocked cars, despite opposition from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who argues that the ordinance violates state law prohibiting local governments from regulating gun ownership.
The mayor is determined to enforce the local gun law, despite the pending lawsuit in Chatham County Superior Court. He believes that regulating gun ownership is necessary to address the escalating gun violence in the city. Johnson’s efforts to introduce measures that hold gun owners accountable have faced backlash from those who oppose any restrictions on gun ownership. The debate over gun control continues to unfold in Savannah, as city officials and state authorities clash over the balance between Second Amendment rights and public safety. The outcome of the legal battle over the gun ordinance will determine the extent of the local government’s authority in regulating firearms in the city.
