Vigil set for Asheley Jewell; 15-year-old remains critical

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By Larry Hartstein

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friends and relatives of Asheley Jewell, the 15-year-old wounded in an apparent road rage shooting, will hold a candlelight vigil Saturday near the site of the shooting.

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Asheley Jewell is the daughter of the late A.J. Jewell, a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" personality who died in 2009 after a fist fight outside an Atlanta strip club. She was shot March 5, 2011 in an apparent road rage incident.

Courtesy of the family Asheley Jewell is the daughter of the late A.J. Jewell, a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" personality who died in 2009 after a fist fight outside an Atlanta strip club. She was shot March 5, 2011 in an apparent road rage incident.

Photos: A.J. Jewell's funeral

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Jewell, a Stephenson High School sophomore, was shot in the head and remains in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Jewell is the daughter of the late A.J. Jewell, a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" personality who died in 2009 after a fist fight outside an Atlanta strip club.

About 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Fulton County police said, two vehicles were traveling on Old National Highway near Jerome Road when one started chasing the other. Shots were fired and Jewell, a passenger in the car being chased, was struck. No one else was hurt.

Jewell was rushed to Grady and underwent surgery.

"Investigators are looking into every possible motive as well as attempting to gain surveillance video from surrounding businesses for a closer description of the perpetrators' vehicle," Fulton detective Melissa Parker said.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477.

The vigil will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at O'Reilly Auto Parts, 5549 Old National Highway in College Park.

"The vigil is a step toward healing a family victimized by senseless violence," said Jewell's cousin, attorney Ebony Phillips. "It is also a call for justice in hopes that someone will come forward with invaluable information about this case. Although nothing can undo the events of March 5, 2011, the family is hopeful that justice will prevail."

Ashley "A.J." Jewell died Oct. 2, 2009 after he and another man fought in the parking lot of the Body Tap, police said. A strip club employee was charged with voluntary manslaughter, but the charge was later dropped after it was determined Jewell died from a sickle cell crisis.

Jewell was the former fiance of "Housewives" cast member and singer/songwriter Kandi Burruss.