A man in Georgia shot and killed three teenagers as they attempted to rob residents of the home.
The incident happened at about 4 a.m. Monday morning in Rockdale County, Georgia. Law enforcement said the three teens, with their faces covered, one 15-year-old and two 16-year-olds, approached three residents in the front yard of a home in an attempt to rob them, according to WSB-TV 2.
Two of the teens were siblings and were identified as 16-year-old Isaiah Reid and 15-year-old Jaime Hernandez. The third deceased teen was identified as 16-year-old Brandon Gresham.
One of the youths allegedly pulled out a gun and fired a few shots, prompting one of the residents, reportedly a male truck driver who owns a semi-automatic rifle and is protective of his mother, to return fire and shoot all three. The homeowner called 911 after the shooting.
“The victims of the attempted robbery were all uninjured, but the three attempted robbery suspects were all shot during the exchange of gunfire and succumbed to their injuries, one on scene and two at a local hospital after being transported,” the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Neighbors heard the early-morning gunfire and ran out to see what was happening.
“It was five shots, and then, it sounded like a handgun. Then I heard somebody have an assault rifle. And it was a slew of shots that came out,” neighbor Carlos Watson said.
Another neighbor, Brian Jenkins said, “I heard a guy yelling for help. ‘Help me, help me, I’m dying, I’m dying, help me, help me.’”
LaShawn Thornton, the aunt of two of the deceased, said the family is searching for answers as to what exactly happened.
“They was loving, they was brothers,” she told 11Alive.
“I hope that someone can come forward and let us know what’s going on. Because this is, like, devastating to my family. There are three teens that are dead, now,” Thornton said. “And we all loved them.”
Georgia is a state that has self-defense laws that allow people to stand their ground and defend themselves without worry of criminal prosecution if they feel threatened. No charges have been filed, but the sheriff’s department said it was still investigating the shooting.
“It’s going to require a lot of investigation here,” legal analyst Latonia Hines said. “You’ve got to look at the facts, you’ve got to look at, they’re talking to the individual who did the shooting, you’re also looking at the shell casings to figure out if this really matches what the witness statements are.”
