Three teen boys from Georgia were shot and killed earlier this week during an alleged failed robbery attempt.
The story has made headlines and touched the hearts of many considering the fact that the teens were so young.
Here are some things to know about the tragic incident.
1The three teens allegedly tried to rob a Georgia resident and “brandished a gun and fired shots” in the homeowner’s front yard.
According to reports, the three teens (one aged 15, the other two aged 16) approached a residence off White Oak Court in Conyers, Georgia with masks covering their faces.
The boys allegedly attempted to rob three individuals from the residence in their front yard, however, things quickly went in a totally different direction.
Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office reports that one of the teenagers “brandished a gun and fired shots” at those in the front yard.
In return, one of the victims of the attempted robbery returned fire, shooting all three of the teens.
None of the victims in the yard were shot or injured during the shooting, which occurred around 4 a.m. on Monday (Sep. 16).
2All three teens died in the shooting; one at the scene, the other two at the hospital.
After one of the teens fired shots at the three victims in their yard, gunfire was returned and all three of the teens were struck. It’s being reported that the homeowner was the one who shot the boys in self-defense.
One of the teens who was shot was said to have died on the scene. The other two teens reportedly died at the hospital.
Deputies found the teens outside the home after the homeowner called 911. One was lying near the edge of the driveway and the other two were found up the road.
According to WSBTV:
Deputies arrived to find one teen face-down on the ground, lying on a Glock handgun, the report states. The boy was wearing a hoodie with a shirt over it, and the hoodie was tied around his face, according to police.
Deputies then found a second boy on the ground in a nearby cul-de-sac. He was bleeding from his head and had an orange bandanna tied over his face, according to police.
Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office Coroner George Levett identified the three teen boys as Isaiah Reed, Jaime Hernandez and Brandon Gresham. Reed and Hernandez were brothers.
A candlelight vigil was held at Hunting Creek subdivision where family and friends gathered to remember the three teens.
Vigil tonight in Rockdale for 3
Teens killed. pic.twitter.com/atLMlJbONy— Alyssa Hyman (@AlyssaHymanNBC6) September 18, 2019
Evangelist Renee Simpson helped organized the vigil and when questioned by Channel 2 news reporter Alyssa Hyman about the teens being killed after making a robbery attempt, she responded:
“I haven’t heard that myself. I’ve read that in the newspaper, don’t know how true that is, but this is what I say, leave that part of the work to the police and then leave the death to God.”
3The homeowner who reportedly killed the teens was said to have acted in a panic while trying to protect his mother.
Several news outlets are reporting the homeowner returned fire at the teens and killed them. The homeowner is said to be a man.
Neighbors told WSBTV he’s a truck driver who owns a semi-automatic rifle and is highly protective of his mother.
4No charges have been filed in the case, and the homicides may have been justifiable under Georgia law.
No one has been charged in connection with the three teens deaths. The case is still under investigation.
According to legal experts, the homeowner may have been justified in shooting the three under Georgia’s “stand your ground” law.
The law allows for a person to use deadly force if they feel their life or someone else’s life or their property is in danger, according to Russell Covey, a Georgia State University law professor.
Attorney Pat Dutcher, a former Fulton County prosecutor, agreed but said more facts are needed for the investigators to determine whether or not the homeowner’s actions were truly justified.
“There would be a question in the prosecutors’ office of whether or not it went too far,” Dutcher said.
