DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A man is in custody months after a deadly shooting that broke out at a Sweet 16 party in Douglas County, according to sheriff's deputies.
On Wednesday, authorities said they arrested 21-year-old Michael Arthur Williams.
This all happened while the sheriff's office was preparing for the upcoming trial of other suspects in the crime. That's when the DA's office uncovered new evidence pointing to Williams.
The shooting itself happened on Sitka Drive in early 2023. In total, 10 teens and young adults were shot, and 15-year-old Samuel Moon and 14-year-old Ajanaye Hill were killed.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said Williams was "always suspected to have been involved, and when the new evidence surfaced, they were able to obtain warrants for his arrest."
Authorities add that Williams was arrested in Albany, where he was attending school.
Right now, he is facing the following charges:
- Two counts of murder
- Two counts of participating in a criminal street gang
- 10 counts of aggravated battery
- 11 counts of aggravated assault
More on the case
Authorities said more than 100 teenagers were at the party off Sitka Drive and Talkeetna Road.
Aj'anaye Hill's mother, Chanell White, previously said she thinks the shooting was random and her daughter was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
11Alive also spoke with the family of Samuel Moon, who described him as the "life of their home."
"It feels like someone just took my heart and ripped it out," Samuel's mother, Beverly LaFleur, said.
Capt. Jon Mauney in the sheriff's office said the homeowners began to shut the party down as it grew out of control and that after it was stopped, the shooting occurred about 50 yards away in the street of the cul-de-sac.
Neighbors told 11Alive it was a chaotic scene with the wounded scattering into other yards. The gunfire struck a neighboring house.
"Kids were fighting apparently, and someone pulled a gun out, and she was running and got hit," White said.
The owner of the home said it was a Sweet 16 party for their daughter and that six adults were home for the party. They told 11Alive that they ended the party at 10 p.m. because kids were smoking weed. They claimed that the shooting happened at the top of the cul-de-sac.
The five previous arrests, all announced last year, included three 17-year-olds, one 21-year-old, and an 18-year-old. All face murder charges and additional counts.