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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A graduate attends Clark Atlanta University’s 2025 commencement ceremony Sunday, May 18, 2025, at Georgia State’s Convocation Center. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

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