ATLANTA — Charges against a man accused in a 2020 shooting where two people were killed and 13 others were wounded have been dropped, according to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. Documents show two others have now been indicted in the case.
Authorities previously charged De'Andre Brown with two counts of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault concerning the shooting that killed Joshua Ingram and Erica Robinson. But this week, court documents from the district attorney's office show they decided against presenting Brown's case to a grand jury, declining to prosecute.
The documents state they spoke with the arresting officer and while "probable cause may have existed for the defendant's arrest," there is still "insufficient evidence to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt."
However, two others are now indicted on several charges, with one of them, Jerry Emile facing several felony murder charges. The grand jury indictment includes the following charges against Emile:
- Six counts; felony murder
- Two counts; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Aggravated battery
- Making false statements to officials
- Two counts; possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
- Three counts; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
The other suspect, Saeed Reed, faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
More about the case
Two people were killed, and 13 others were injured after a shooting broke out in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighborhood. It was in the early hours on July 5, 2020, and fireworks were still firing off in the area to commemorate Independence Day when gunfire rang out.
Around 3 a.m. Atlanta Police officers were dispatched to the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Boulevard. Police reported that while a large crowd was watching fireworks, a car hit a pedestrian, leading to a fight between several people at the location. Multiple people started shooting, APD said.
Several victims were taken to the hospital, but two people died. APD released a statement regarding the office's decision on Friday.
"The Atlanta Police Department has been working closely with the Fulton County District Attorney’s office regarding the July 4th, 2020, shooting death of 20-year-old Joshua Ingram and 32-year-old Erica Robinson. The shooting also injured 13 other individuals.
Like all investigations, the work did not stop with an arrest. Mr. De’Andre Brown was arrested on September 13, 2020, and charged with murder and aggravated assault. Mr. Jerry Emile was taken into custody in August of 2021 and charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
As the investigation progressed, additional information came to light, resulting in the charges against Mr. Brown being dropped and the charges against Mr. Emile being upgraded to include murder. The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office found that, while there was probable cause to arrest Mr. Brown, the additional information did not support the charges against Mr. Brown.
This homicide case remains open, and investigators will continue working to hold all involved parties responsible for this senseless act of violence."
Who are the victims
A total of 14 people were shot in the holiday weekend shooting in 2020; Erica Robinson and Joshua Ingram were killed.
Erica Robinson was 32 years old when she was shot and killed in the shooting. She would have celebrated her 33rd birthday just a month after the deadly incident. Robinson, having joined the company in 2012, worked for Verizon and was advancing in her career.
At 10:30 a.m. on July 5, Tiffany Robinson, Erica's sister, said that an Atlanta Police detective called her at a family reunion in Macon to tell her Erica had been shot. Since she had to work that weekend, she could not join the rest of the family for the reunion.
Her family said that she loved music. Robinson was a part of the Frederick Douglass High School marching band and concert band — Class of 2005. And she attended and graduated from Albany State University, playing in the band there — Class of 2009.
Doctors told them Erica had been shot in the stomach, and the bullet had torn an artery in her small intestine. Tiffany said doctors described Erica as “a fighter,” but Erica succumbed following surgery.
Tiffany said that, since then, she’s told people “just not to take anything for granted. You don’t take any day, any time, for granted, to live your life to the fullest. And that’s what we did. We lived our lives to the fullest.”
The second victim who died in the fatal holiday weekend shooting was 20-year-old Joshua Ingram. He was gathering with friends outside an apartment complex early in the morning on July 5, watching fireworks, when someone started shooting.
He was a student at Georgia State Perimeter, studying to be a mechanical engineer. Ingram grew up playing football, running track and volunteering at church.
His mother, Sherlyn Ingram, previously described her son as a gentle giant, always smiling and hugging. She said giving hugs was always the first thing he did when he entered a room.
"Joshua was my GIANT! He was loved by so many, touched the heart of many, and he cared for so many people," Sherlyn said previously. "He would say, 'God knew what he was doing.' I am questioning why. Why the senseless killing!"