On a sweltering Monday afternoon, Chanell White said her heart started to race as she looked up at the soon-to-be-unveiled roadway marker in Douglas County. She couldn’t wait to see her daughter’s name.
Less than three miles away, Beverly La Fleur wore a red bowtie her son would have loved as she gazed proudly at another marker that now bears his name.
More than two years after their teenagers were killed during a Sweet 16 party — a brazen and chaotic shooting that sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community — the two mothers were joined by local leaders, law enforcement and family members for separate roadway dedications this week, ensuring neither child will be forgotten.
After attempting to hold back her emotions, White walked up next to her daughter’s marker and enthusiastically pleaded to the crowd: “Can we get a drum roll, y’all?”
White had been overwhelmed with grief since the shooting, but that didn’t matter now as she raised her arms in the air. The name of her child, Aj’anaye Hill, was now visible for all the world to see.
“I was just so excited,” White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It will not bring her back. I think about her every day. But it is definitely a joy that her name is up on the street.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
That U.S. 78 and Campbellton Street location is now officially called the Aj’anaye Hill Memorial Intersection in honor of the 14-year-old, who was killed alongside La Fleur’s 15-year-old son on March 4, 2023. The I-20 and Ga. 92 area is now called the Samuel Micah Moon Memorial Interchange.
State Sen. Donzella James sponsored the legislation authorizing both roadway dedications, which were consolidated and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp in May.
La Fleur spoke about the need for love during the bittersweet moment Monday. Surrounded by her family, she watched as red balloons rose into the sky
“It’s just an indescribable feeling that we feel as a family to see him up here,” La Fleur told the AJC.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
A motorcade comprised of dozens of sheriff’s cars and county vehicles escorted the families to both unveilings.
About 30 months earlier, deputies were called after gunfire erupted at the party that grew out of control and swelled beyond 100 teenagers. Officials said a confrontation just up the street from the home on Sitka Drive led to the deadly shooting. Eight other teens suffered gunshot wounds ranging from grazes to critical injuries, the district attorney’s office said.
County dispatchers Dakota Roden and Kayla Marshall said they handled nearly two dozen calls during that turbulent Saturday night, including one in which Marshall could hear Moon in the background. She later reached out to La Fleur, who introduced her to Aj’anaye’s mother.
“Their families have now become basically like family. We’ve kept in touch with them,” Marshall said. “It’s a comfort, because now they know that there’s somebody who is connected to their baby’s last moments.”
DA Dalia Racine, who has kids the same age as the victims, said the shooting “changed the tapestry of our community” and that “our children witnessed a war zone in their own backyards.”
Seven people were sentenced in the case, ranging from 12 months to life in prison, according to Racine’s office.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
“We don’t expect perfection from our kids, but we do anticipate they’ll be safe, and this dismantled that entire notion that they would be OK, and that rocked the community,” Racine told the AJC. “But the moms now can stand solid, and have turned tragedy to triumph in so many different ways, in their own unique way.”
Moon was a sophomore at Lithia Springs High School. He loved Spider-Man and the color red and would imagine himself as a superhero inside his family home, according to his mother. Principal Felicia Jones said he was a talented and kind student and would have graduated already.
She worked with La Fleur to establish the red bow tie scholarship in honor of Moon. This spring, six of her students were awarded scholarships.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
On Hill’s first day of school at Douglas County High, she met principal Kenja Parks and bonded over the color pink, their shared birthday and twin connection. Parks has twin girls, while Hill has a twin brother, Ahmed, who still goes to the school.
The day before the shooting, Parks said she hugged Hill in the hallway and praised her for having “such a wonderful spring semester.” The family recently established Aj’anaye’s Dream Foundation, which supports families and youth affected by gun violence by providing scholarships.
“My sister meant everything to me,” Ahmed Hill said. “Her name shouldn’t be there at all. She should still be with us today. But that being said, it means a lot.”
After the shooting, both mothers reached out to County Commission Chairman Romona Jackson Jones, asking “if a street could be named after our babies,” Jones said. She then contacted James, which eventually led to the good news.
The journey through grief has been hard for both mothers, but it’s also pulled them together. If she is having a bad day, La Fleur said she will call White and they will share their pain.
They are a family now, with road markers honoring their children just a few miles away from each other.
“I drive this road every day. I’m gonna be driving it extra now,” White said.
“Oh, definitely,” La Fleur said while grinning. “We’ll be driving by.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
