Police have a second person of interest in their investigation of a Fourth of July night shooting that killed a 16-year-old College Park girl in her home.
Authorities are looking for Curtis Cohen, 35, of Morrow. Cohen is the cousin of Marcel Smith, 23, who earlier was identified as a person of interest in the shooting of Rasheedah Evans.
Police said Cohen is 6’1, 155 pounds and drives a dark blue Volkswagen four-door sedan. They issued a photo of him but it is 3 years old and they said he may have changed his appearance.
Police are still seeking Smith in the shooting, which they believe may have resulted from holiday celebratory gunfire.
Evans was inside her home in College Park, watching a movie on her tablet with her earbuds in, when a bullet struck her, said her uncle, Patrick Muhammad.
On Monday, Evans’ family mourned the loss of a girl who they said seemed intent on making something of her life.
“She didn’t get caught up in frivolous things,” said Muhammad, , who is principal at Grove Park Intermediate School in Atlanta. Evans, a rising junior who was on the honor roll at Benjamin Banneker High School , wanted to become a forensic scientist, her uncle said.
She was “always pleasant, full of energy, with a beautiful smile,” Muhammad said.
Lt. Scott McBride, Fulton County police spokesman, said the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve are the two days when celebratory gunfire is most common. Restrictions on shooting a gun vary by jurisdiction, but in many circumstances it is illegal and individuals would face criminal charges, he said.
McBride had a warning concerning the risk of firing a weapon to celebrate: “When you discharge a gun, you own that bullet until it stops. You are responsible.”
Family members want Smith to come forward and the tragedy to be used to prevent similar incidents in the future, Muhammad said. It is important, he said, to teach people that they should not participate in celebratory gunfire because of the risks.
“Every year we hear about someone who loses their life this way,” Muhammad said. “We just can’t allow it to continue to happen,” the uncle said.
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