About a dozen people from Georgia and Tennessee have been charged in connection with the deaths of an 11-year-old girl and her 15-year-old brother shot to death as they slept in a Clayton County home in 2016.

The 54-count indictment includes several charges for murder, cruelty to children and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

The deaths of Tatiyana and Daveon Coates may have been due to a missed target, police said. Gang members were looking for another 15-year-old who had stolen weapons from a DeKalb County residence. He had been temporarily staying with the Coates family, but had returned to Chattanooga, Tenn., at the time of the slayings.

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Wade Roberts (center), a Decatur parent with children in three of the city schools, addresses concerns  with the possibility of a K-2 school closing. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

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Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

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