Two young brothers were shot and killed at a Georgia apartment complex after gunfire erupted during what their mother described as a family barbecue, leaving two other relatives wounded and police searching for whoever was responsible.
Ja’hki Clark, 12, and Ja’marion Rolle, 11, were killed Sunday evening, Sept. 20, at an apartment complex on North Hairston Road in Stone Mountain, according to DeKalb County police and local reports.
Officers were called to 1075 North Hairston Road around 6 p.m. after reports that multiple people had been shot.
Police found 11-year-old Ja’marion suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at the scene.
His older brother, Ja’hki, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries, authorities said.
Two women, ages 19 and 39, were also hospitalized and were listed in stable condition. Police said all four victims were related.
Investigators have not announced an arrest or publicly identified a suspect.
Mother Says Trouble Began After Football Game
The boys’ mother told WSB-TV that she believes the deadly confrontation may have grown out of a dispute involving children following a football game several days earlier.
According to her account, there had been a fight Thursday. She said relatives of children involved in that dispute came to the family’s apartment Sunday while they were having a barbecue.
A confrontation followed, she said, before gunshots suddenly rang out.
The mother told the station she rushed to her children after hearing the shots. She said she found Ja’marion outside with a gunshot wound to the head, while Ja’hki had also been struck.
She also told WSB-TV that a pregnant 17-year-old niece was shot three times and that the teenager’s mother was wounded. The family was concerned about the unborn child, she said. Police, however, have publicly described the two surviving victims as women ages 19 and 39, so it remains unclear how the accounts correspond.
The mother also said she provided investigators with video that she believes shows people involved fleeing the area. Police have not publicly confirmed the contents of that footage.
Police Investigating Possible Earlier Dispute
DeKalb County police initially said their investigation indicated the shooting may have been connected to a fight or disagreement earlier Sunday.
That differs somewhat from the mother’s account, which traced the tension back to a football-related altercation several days earlier. Detectives are still working to establish exactly what happened before the gunfire.
Officers conducted a large search of the apartment complex after the shooting, even using metal detectors in grassy areas while looking for shell casings and other evidence.
Sgt. Elise Wells told WSB-TV that investigators deliberately expanded the crime scene so potentially important evidence would not be overlooked.
Police said there was no continuing threat to the surrounding community after the shooting.
Schools Mourning Two Young Students
Ja’hki had recently begun sixth grade at Stone Mountain Middle School, while Ja’marion was a fifth grader at Stone Mill Elementary School.
Both schools brought in grief counselors to help students and staff cope with the deaths. School officials said counseling would remain available throughout the week.
The tragedy has devastated the boys’ family and shaken the surrounding community.
“This is an unimaginable loss for the families involved and our entire community,” DeKalb County police said following the shooting.
Investigation Remains Open
As of Sept. 22, police had not announced an arrest or released the name of a suspected shooter.
The DeKalb County Police Department lists its Homicide and Assaults Unit at 770-724-7850 and also accepts anonymous information through its Tip411 system.
Detectives continue to investigate who fired the shots, what triggered the confrontation and whether the shooting was connected to one or more earlier disputes.
