Girl, 8, Shot And Killed In Atlanta, 'Enough Is Enough': Mayor

ATLANTA, GA — An 8-year-old girl was shot and killed over the weekend near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks died last month. Atlanta's mayor urged the public to help find the two shooters believed responsible, and warned that the violence could harm civil rights efforts.

Atlanta police identified the girl Sunday as Secoriea Turner. Police said they were responding to a 911 call near University Avenue and I-75/I-85 around 9:50 p.m.

Investigators said the girl was riding in a vehicle with her mother and an adult friend when they exited the interstate onto University Avenue. The driver was attempting to enter the parking lot at 1238 Pryor Road when he was confronted by a group of armed individuals who had blocked the entrance.

At some point, someone in that group opened fire on the vehicle, hitting it multiple times and striking the child who was inside. Police said the driver then drove to Atlanta Medical Center for help. The child died at the hospital.

“You can’t blame this on a police officer. You can’t say this about criminal justice reform,” said Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms in a news conference. “This is about some people carrying some weapons who shot up a car with an 8-year-old baby in the car for what?!?

“Enough is enough,” Bottoms continued. “If you want people to take us seriously and you don’t want us to lose this movement, we can’t lose each other.”

She said there were at least two shooters involved and pleaded that anyone with information to step up and help police solve this case.

“I am just asking you to please honor this baby’s life,” Bottoms said. “If you know who did this, please turn them in. These people are a danger to all of us.”

The mother of the victim, Charmaine Turner, said her daughter died in her arms.

“She was only 8 years old,” Turner said. “She would have been on Tik Tok dancing on her phone, just got done eating. We understand the frustration of Rayshard Brooks. We didn’t have anything to do with that. We’re innocent. My baby didn’t mean no harm.”

Secoriya Williamson, Secoriea’s father, spoke next.

“They say black lives matter,” Williamson said. “You killed your own this time. You killed a child. She didn’t do nothing to nobody.”

Since Rayshard Brooks’ death, protesters have turned the now shuttered Wendy’s parking lot into a memorial. Atlanta City Councilmember Joyce Sheppard said last week in a news conference that she’d been in communications with protesters in the community and that they wanted the city to allow them to turn the lot into an official memorial to honor Brooks’ life. They even organized a clean up event last Saturday.

Protesters had erected barriers to block traffic, which the city had recently removed.

Bottoms said Saturday that she received a text message from Interim Police Chief Rodney Bryant that the barricades had returned about 8:45 p.m., reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“They didn’t give us time to make a U-turn,” Turner said during the news conference. “They shot my tires before we had time to turn around.”

“At the point that an 8-year-old baby is killed, the discussions have ended,” Bottoms said.

Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Secoriea’s killers. Information can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.com.

Related: Gov. Kemp Calls Atlanta's Violent Weekend Unacceptable; Girl Dies