ATLANTA — Atlanta Police are hoping a $50,000 reward will convince those who know who shot and killed best friends JaKody Davis, 13, and Lamon Freeman, 13, to come forward.
On Tuesday, July 2, just before 1 a.m., officers responded to the West End Apartments in the Oakland City neighborhood for multiple children shot. Along with Freeman and Davis, Davis' 12-year-old brother was shot but survived.
Family members said the children were just a few feet outside Freeman's apartment celebrating his birthday when someone walked up and opened fire. The children were shot in the stairwell of the apartment building.
A makeshift memorial has been growing along the stairwell.
On Wednesday, community and faith leaders gathered at the apartment complex along with the children's families for a second night in a row.
"It's sad, man," explained Derrick Townsend, CEO of Hopeful Change.
Hopeful Change offers mentoring and mental health services across metro Atlanta.
"We come in and help the family deal with the ripple effects of the trauma, said Townsend.
Townsend said, unfortunately, that there always seems to be a need for his organization's services.
"We can't keep burying our youth at this rate," he added.
West End Apartments is no stranger to violence, but more broadly, Townsend said something has to change across the city.
"We have to get to a point where our kids can come back outside and play and order to us to get to that way is to move from silos to solidarity," said Townsend.
Pastor Darryl Winston of Greater Works Assembly is helping advance a faith-led community-based collaborative with a call to action for 'peace' across metro Atlanta.
"No life is expendable, and there are no communities that should have to contend with this day in and day out," Winston said.
Pastor Winston said they will be hosting a roundtable discussion on July 9 at 1 p.m. at Metropolitan Library on Metropolitan Parkway. They're asking community and business leaders to join their 'Champions for Peace' task force.
"It’s going to take us to really dig in and be intentional about the efforts that we are putting towards reducing violence in city of Atlanta," said Townsend.