DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from the police.
DeKalb County School District officials have now identified a 16-year-old boy killed after an argument led to a shooting in a DeKalb neighborhood Wednesday evening, according to the police department.
DeKalb County Police Department said a 14-year-old was arrested on murder charges following interviews with bystanders. Authorities said it happened at the 400 block of Meadowood Drive in Stonecrest, which is off Fairington Parkway -- near Fairington Park. Officers responded shortly after 7:30 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found the teen with life-threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital, where he passed away, police said. Detectives said their preliminary investigation revealed several juveniles were involved in a verbal dispute, which led to the shooting.
School district officials said the 16-year-old was Jaylan Rodgers, a student at Martin Luther King High School in Lithonia. Grief counselors were on hand Thursday to console students and staff.
"Jaylan was not just a student but a part of our MLK Family, and his passing leaves a void that is difficult to comprehend," principal Michael Alexander wrote in a statement to parents. "The entire MLK HS Community extends its heartfelt sympathy to family, friends, and relatives during this incredibly challenging time."
Curtis Orr, a crossing guard who works outside the apartment complex, told 11Alive parents needed to look out more for their kids to try and prevent gun violence.
"Some of the people raise their kids, but the problem of it is, when they turn loose and go to school, they get involved with other kids," Orr said. "I really, truly love kids. That’s why I took this job, security. Security, it’s one of those things. You try and keep peace and you can’t. They’re going to carry them anyway.”
According to data from the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System, there's been an increase in deadly shootings statewide since 2020. Data from 2021 shows that in DeKalb County, over 70% of violent deaths were due to a firearm. A majority of those gunshot victims in the county were between the ages of 15 and 24.
Paulette Smith knows the gut-punching grief of gun violence all too well. She lost her own son, Jonathan McWilliams, back in 2021. He was gunned down inside his bedroom in Forest Park at just 22 years old. Smith said she was not working to comfort other families dealing with heartache and searching for answers.
She and a group of other parents meet at the Rosel Fann Recreation Center in Atlanta to discuss coping mechanisms and justice solutions.
"A fight was not worth taking a life," Smith said. "When they take that person’s life, they need to know they’re taking their life too. The method they’re taking to solve their problem is not solving their problem at all. They’re not thinking, you’re just reacting.”
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