ATLANTA — Police provided a photo of a person of interest they are trying to identify in connection with the shooting near Atlantic Station that claimed the lives of 12 and 15-year-old boys. Four other teens were also hurt when the gunfire broke out over Thanksgiving weekend.
It occurred on 17th Street around the overpass above the Downtown Connector on Nov. 26.
The Atlanta Police department released two photos Friday from the night of the shooting. Three other arrests were made in the fatal shooting earlier in the month.
APD said on Dec. 7, they arrested a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old in the case and that the teens would face murder charges. Police did not identify the two.
They added one of the teens was apprehended in New York and that both are students in the Atlanta Public Schools system. They were both described as alleged shooters in the Nov. 27 incident.
Additionally, a third arrest was announced on Dec. 12. A 16-year-old from Clayton County was taken into custody concerning the deadly shooting. The department has not said how many people they plan to arrest in this case.
Who were the victims?
Two kids were shot and killed in the shooting. A 12-year-old, Zyion Charles, died on Saturday night during Thanksgiving weekend. The second victim who died, 15-year-old Cameron Jackson, was initially in critical condition after the shooting.
Four others were also injured.
After the shooting, Zyion's mother, Deerica Charles, gave emotional remarks before the Atlanta City Council Public Safety Committee, describing her efforts to steer her son away from a path of dangerous behavior. She said he had been involved in groups breaking into cars, an increasingly common form of street crime in Atlanta.
"I tried, y'all. I called the police office almost 30 times in the last two years, and they told me they can't do nothing. I said he's out and breaking into these folks' cars, can you please get him off the street," Deerica said.
Jackson's family described him as a teen who loves science, animals, cooking and riding dirt bikes. He also had been practicing boxing since he was just 9 years old.
More on the case
Police initially said the shootout stemmed from the two groups originally escorted off the Atlantic Station property due to unruly behavior and curfew violations at the complex. But APD later confirmed they believed the shooting was gang-related.
Charles' family also expressed that said they didn't believe he was part of a gang.