ATLANTA — Atlanta Police announced Friday that two men are facing charges in the death of a 16-year-old girl killed outside an Atlanta high school last month. Jaquan Withers, 18, and Willie Dennis, 19, are being held at the Fulton County Jail.
And police said they have identified at least one more suspect who has not yet been captured.
Bre'Asia Powell was shot to death on May 28 over Memorial Day weekend. Powell had just finished her sophomore year at Benjamin E. Mays High. She was among several teenagers who attended what officials said was an unauthorized gathering outside the school.
Family members have said the teens were celebrating the end of the school year and the beginning of summer vacation.
Police were called to the shooting at 2:30 a.m. where they found Powell and a 16-year-old boy shot. Both were rushed to the hospital, but Powell did not survive.
She was expecting to work for the City of Atlanta this summer before her life was taken.
"My heart goes out to both families and definitely to the family of the decedent," Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens previously said about the teens who were shot.
Withers is being charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was served warrants at the Fulton County Jail last Friday where he was being held on unrelated charges, police said.
Dennis was wanted out of Jackson County also on an unrelated charge, according to authorities. Police said with the help of Operation Heatwave, a new initiative to help combat gun violence in the city, officers were able to locate Dennis on Thursday and take him into custody. He is also being charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
"Throughout the tireless investigation, three suspects were identified, two of which are currently in the Fulton County Jail," Atlanta Police Department Homicide Commander Lt. Germain Dearlove said in a prepared statement, released on video Friday afternoon.
But the case is not over, he said.
"We know there are other involved parties for this investigation," Dearlove said.
He asked the public's help in finding justice for Powell's family. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers to report a tip.