Man arrested after teen is shot at Stephens County youth home

By: Brian Wellmeier

Photo: Crime Scene at the Youth Home/Stephens County Sheriff's Office

A 19-year-old Toccoa man is in custody following a shooting at a local youth home that left a 16-year-old injured early Tuesday morning, according to the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies and Stephens County EMS were dispatched at around 1:13 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24, to The Village, a youth residential facility on Gulley Trail, after reports of a gunshot wound. Responders found a 16-year-old male suffering from severe injuries.

He was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville and has since been discharged, according to authorities. He is expected to recover fully.

Police say the incident stemmed from a conflict that began with a verbal dispute on March 23. The situation reportedly continued into the early morning hours of March 24, when a second altercation occurred outside the facility and at least one firearm was produced. Multiple shots were allegedly fired, striking the juvenile, and evidence recovered at the scene included several shell casings.

Authorities identified 19-year-old Jonah Swinton, of Toccoa, as a primary suspect. An arrest warrant was issued for aggravated assault.

Swinton was taken into custody without incident at 2:45 p.m. on March 25. He was booked into the Stephens County Jail, where he remains pending a bond hearing before a magistrate judge.