ATLANTA — Five of the six defendants arrested after a deadly shooting near Atlantic Station last November have pleaded guilty in court.
- Antonio Jackson entered a negotiated guilty plea - sentenced to 20 years, 10 in custody/10 probation
- Demetrius Hill entered a negotiated guilty plea - sentenced to 40 years, 30 in custody/10 probation
- Toney Wilson entered a negotiated guilty plea - sentenced to 40 years, 20 in custody/20 probation
- Deandre Forston entered a negotiated guilty plea - sentenced to serve 40 years, 20 in custody/20 probation
- DeRodney Russell entered a negotiated guilty plea - sentenced to serve 40 years, 20 in custody/20 probation
All five defendants entered pleas for violation of the Street Gang Act. However, Hill and Wilson also entered pleas for murder and manslaughter charges, which is why their sentencing is significantly higher. Forston and Russell entered pleas for a murder charge that was lessened to manslaughter.
Who are the suspects charged?
Atlanta Police made seven arrests in connection to the shooting, where two young boys were killed and four other people were hurt near Atlantic Station.
A week following the shooting, APD said they had arrested a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old in the case and that they would be facing murder charges. Police did not identify the two.
They added one of the teens was apprehended in New York and that both are students in the Atlanta Public Schools system. They were both described as shooters in the Nov. 26 incident.
Additionally, a third arrest was announced on Dec. 12, 2022. A 16-year-old from Clayton County was taken into custody in connection to the deadly shooting.
A fourth suspect, Derodney Russell, was arrested Sunday, Mar. 5, 2023, by Clayton County Sheriff's Office deputies. Russell is the first adult to be charged in connection to the deadly November shooting. He is now in custody at the Clayton County Jail and is accused of murder.
Atlanta Police announced they arrested two more teens on Mar. 20. The 15-year-olds were not identified, but police did say they were arrested in different parts of the city.
11Alive obtained records from the Fulton County Sheriff's Office showing 17-year-old A'Micael Aziz was booked into jail back in August on felony murder, murder and aggravated assault, among other charges.
In October, Aziz accepted a plea deal for several criminal street gang charges and will serve five years in prison in addition to five years on probation.
Who were the victims?
Two kids were killed in the shooting. A 12-year-old, Zyion Charles, died Saturday night in the incident. The second victim who died, 15-year-old Cameron Jackson, was initially in critical condition after the shooting. Four others were hurt.
Zyion's mother, Deerica Charles, gave emotional remarks before the Atlanta City Council Public Safety Committee describing her efforts to steer her son away from a path of dangerous behavior. She said he had been involved in groups breaking into cars, an increasingly common form of street crime in Atlanta.
"I tried, y'all. I called the police office almost 30 times in the last two years, and they told me they can't do nothing. I said he's out and breaking into these folks' cars, can you please get him off the street," Deerica said.
Jackson's family described him as a teen who loves science, animals, cooking and riding dirt bikes. He also had been practicing boxing since he was just nine years old.
More on the case
Police initially said the shootout stemmed from the two groups originally escorted off the Atlantic Station property due to unruly behavior and curfew violations at the complex. APD later confirmed they believed the shooting was gang-related.
Charles' family also said they didn't believe he was part of a gang.