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Teenage Suspect Identified in Fatal Shooting of 8-Year-Old Girl in Atlanta Teenage Suspect Charged in Fatal Shooting of 8-Year-Old Girl in Atlanta
(about 3 hours later)
A teenage suspect has been identified in the fatal shooting of Secoriea Turner, an 8-year-old girl who died this month in Atlanta after an armed group stopped her family’s car and opened fire, officials said on Wednesday. A teenager was charged on Wednesday in the fatal shooting of Secoriea Turner, an 8-year-old girl who died this month in Atlanta after an armed group stopped her family’s car and opened fire, officials said.
The Atlanta Police Department issued a warrant on Tuesday for Julian Conley, 19, for aggravated assault and felony murder. The teenager, 19-year-old Julian Conley, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of felony murder, according to his lawyer, Jackie Patterson. The Atlanta Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest on Tuesday.
“Detectives are actively working to bring Conley into custody,” Anthony Grant, a department spokesman, said in a statement on Wednesday. Mr. Conley turned himself in on Wednesday and was in custody, the police said. Mr. Patterson said that his client had witnessed the shooting and had seen three to four people open fire, but that Mr. Conley himself had not shot at the car.
Jackie Patterson, Mr. Conley’s lawyer, said Mr. Conley would turn himself in on Wednesday. He said that his client witnessed the shooting and saw three to four people open fire, but that Mr. Conley himself did not shoot.
“My client has no idea who these people were,” Mr. Patterson said. “He does not know these people by name or have any affiliation with them. The police don’t have anyone else they can charge, so they decided to charge my client.”“My client has no idea who these people were,” Mr. Patterson said. “He does not know these people by name or have any affiliation with them. The police don’t have anyone else they can charge, so they decided to charge my client.”
The shooting, which took place near the Wendy’s fast-food restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed in June, has roiled Atlanta. Mr. Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by a police officer last month during a confrontation outside of Wendy’s. The shooting, captured on a widely circulated video, prompted the resignation of the city’s police chief and inflamed the tensions over race and policing that have rocked the nation.The shooting, which took place near the Wendy’s fast-food restaurant where Rayshard Brooks was killed in June, has roiled Atlanta. Mr. Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by a police officer last month during a confrontation outside of Wendy’s. The shooting, captured on a widely circulated video, prompted the resignation of the city’s police chief and inflamed the tensions over race and policing that have rocked the nation.
After the shooting, Secoriea received treatment at a hospital, but she did not survive her injuries, the police said in a statement. According to a preliminary police investigation, she was riding in a vehicle with her mother and her mother’s friend. A lawyer for Secoriea’s family, Mawuli Davis, said Secoriea, her mother and her mother’s friend were on their way home from setting off fireworks for the Fourth of July when a group of armed individuals opened fire on the vehicle. Gunshots struck the vehicle multiple times, hitting Secoriea, the police said.
The driver was trying to enter a parking lot when he was confronted by a group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance, the police said. At some point, someone in the group opened fire on the vehicle, striking it multiple times and hitting the child inside. The driver then drove to Atlanta Medical Center for help. The family friend, who was driving, went to Atlanta Medical Center for help. Secoriea received treatment at the hospital, but did not survive her injuries, the police said.
A funeral for Secoriea was held in Atlanta on Wednesday. Mr. Davis said Secoriea’s family did not want the wrong person put behind bars. But he added that the family was dismayed that the suspect, Mr. Conley, said he witnessed the shooting but refused to talk to the police about it.
“For the family, that is deeply disturbing and frustrating,” Mr. Davis said. “They would like any witness, including Mr. Patterson’s client, to share information that can bring the people responsible for the death of their family member to justice.”
Mr. Conley’s lawyer said that everyone accused of a crime had the right to remain silent.
A funeral for Secoriea was held in Atlanta on Wednesday. Mr. Davis said Secoriea’s family — her mother, father, two brothers and younger sister — hoped community members would come forward with information so the people responsible for Secoriea’s killing could be held accountable.
“It’s been emotionally draining for the family, and they just need help with closure,” Mr. Davis said. “They’ve described still being in a daze — just a really, really bad dream they can’t wake up from.”