The identity of the young man who survived multiple gunshot wounds on a MARTA train at Midtown Station on Friday, June 5, has been revealed in a fundraising appeal.
Seventeen-year-old J’Von Easterling, a student at KIPP Atlanta High School, is now recovering from injuries to his hand and leg that required multiple surgeries.
Easterling had just left a summer science and engineering program at Georgia Tech when he was shot by Anthony Tyrone Gresham, 42, of Lithia Springs, in an apparent random act of violence.
After a manhunt, Gresham was located and arrested in Douglasville, an hour west of the scene of the crime.
The shooting occurred as the City of Atlanta is preparing for nearly half a million visitors for the FIFA World Cup – sparking a debate about security and prompting a federal investigation.
Gresham is now facing federal charges of “committing an act of violence with intent to cause serious bodily injury on a mass transportation system, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.”
“My office and federal law enforcement will continue to lean in and partner with local agencies to hold criminals accountable for violent attacks on MARTA, a critical component of Atlanta’s transportation infrastructure that is subsidized by federal funds,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “Gresham was allegedly undeterred by decades of prosecution for robberies, drug trafficking, and other crimes, which compounds the need for federal intervention in this case.”
According to GoFundMe organizer Betty Brown, the crossbody bag carried by Easterling “stopped the bullet that could have taken his life.” He is expected to be in the hospital for weeks.
His mentor, Chris Cooper, wrote on social media that Easterling is “the kind of young man we all hope our communities produce: brilliant, respectful, hardworking, compassionate, a top student, a state champion athlete, and an aspiring engineer with an incredibly bright future.”
Easterling is a rising senior at KIPP Atlanta High School where he is a top-performing student and serves on the Student Government Association. As of Tuesday, June 9, Easterling’s GoFund Me had collected nearly $11,000 with a goal of $25,000.
Recent violent crimes on MARTA include a May 24 stabbing at the Georgia State Station and the May 30 fatal stabbing death of 66-year-old Margaret Swann, whose random attacker is also facing federal charges.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
