ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta families are experiencing grief, anguish, and heartbreak after two teen boys were shot to death at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex Saturday evening.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office confirmed the two boys killed are 16-year-old Justin Powell, of Atlanta, and 14-year-old Malik Grover, of Fayetteville. The shootout also sent two 15-year-olds and an 11-year-old to the hospital with gunshot wounds.
The family of Powell said that their son and Grover were best friends.
“We don't need another family doing what I'm doing right now," a relative of Powell said. "It's too much."
The two young lives came to a tragic end at The Retreat at Greenbriar Apartments in what police called a social media dispute that turned deadly.
RELATED: 14 and 16-year-old killed, 3 kids hurt in shootout in Atlanta's Greenbriar neighborhood, APD says
A relative of Powell spoke to 11Alive in an emotional interview and said he was a good kid who ended up following the wrong crowd after feeling isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Justin didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve the way he died," the relative said.
The relative of Powell, who didn't want to reveal her identity out of fear of gang retaliation, said the two boys who died were best friends.
“Justin is our 16-year-old baby," she said. "He had an infectious laugh, an infectious smile. He loved music.”
The relative also noted that Powell had both parents in his life.
“Justin was loved, and this was not a case of a bad kid that got killed. This was a case of a good young man who got caught up with the wrong crowd," she added. "We tried and we just could not save him."
According to her, the family reached out for help, but their efforts were fruitless.
“We went to two different agencies in the metro Atlanta area and they told us the same thing," the relative explained. "Until he gets into any trouble. There's nothing they could do."
The family asks metro Atlanta to keep them in their prayers as they grieve an unimaginable loss.
“As you do that, if you are the parents of young men and young women, love on them, hug them," the relative said. "Tell them you love them, and most importantly, talk to them. Know who their friends are, ask them questions, and it's okay for them to be upset."
Powell's relative also hopes his death can serve as a wake-up call for other young people.
“I know it's easy to get caught up with the wrong group of people but make a better decision so that your parents won't be the parents sitting at a funeral home making plans to bury their 16-year-old son when they've already buried two more children,” she said.
Powell's family described him as a very bright boy who loved basketball, and he had just written a song for his mother.
He loved music but wanted to go into the military after graduating. Sadly, those are dreams that will now never be realized.