Authorities made an arrest Wednesday in the fatal shooting of a teenager who has been identified as the brother of an Atlanta airman killed by a Florida sheriff's deputy, according to the county medical examiner's office and the family.
DeKalb County Police Department said a 20-year-old man was taken into custody at the county jail on aggravated assault charges following the shooting death of 16-year-old Andre Fortson.
Investigators also added that they learned that the incident happened after two groups of people began shooting at each other for an unknown reason. Police did not say how many people could be involved or if Fortson was involved. Another man, a 27-year-old, was also hurt in the shooting, police said.
The shooting, on the 1400 block of Bouldercrest, happened on Tuesday night. Officers said they were called out around 9 p.m. and found Fortson dead, lying in the breezeway of one of the apartment buildings nearby.
Family said he was looking forward to celebrating his 17th birthday this coming Sunday. In May, Andre’s older brother, U.S. Airman Roger Fortson, was shot and killed by a Florida sheriff’s deputy. Andre had sat in the front row of the church, mourning his brother, and now their mother faces the unimaginable task of burying another son.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who took Roger Fortson's case, said the office is looking for more information and answers about what happened to Andre.
"Losing the life of yet another young family member – a mere child – has been an absolute devastation," Crump said. "We are asking the media and the public for privacy and space during this impossible time."
Kiara Moore, a close friend of the family, shared her grief and frustration over the violence that claimed Andre Fortson's life.
“I just, I just want the young, the young guys, to put the guns down,” Moore said. “It always be the innocent ones. Always.”