Arrest made months after teen’s death at Piedmont Park on 404 Day
Nearly four months after a 16-year-old girl was fatally shot at Piedmont Park following 404 Day festivities, Atlanta police announced an arrest.
Kaine Burnette, 17, surrendered Friday at the Fulton County Jail on charges of reckless conduct, possession of a pistol under the age of 18 and discharging a weapon near a street, officials said. According to jail records, Burnette lives in Macon, North Carolina.
It appears to be the first arrest in connection with the shooting. In its immediate aftermath, Atlanta police said at least four people appeared to have opened fire April 4, killing Tianah Robinson and wounding another girl. Several images of persons of interest were also released, and authorities in May increased a reward to $25,000 for information leading to a conviction.
Police did not release details about Burnette’s alleged connection to the case.
Robinson, who was a student at North Clayton High School, was at the bustling park with her friends when gunfire erupted around 9 p.m., an hour after 404 Day celebrations wrapped up.
Another 15-year-old girl from Gwinnett County was injured in the gunfire. Authorities said the teens didn’t know each other and weren’t the intended targets.
Robinson’s death was the first homicide at Piedmont Park since Midtown resident Katie Janness and her dog, Bowie, were found stabbed just inside the 10th Street entrance in 2021. That case, which reached it’s fifth anniversary on July 28, remains unsolved.