Three of four suspects have been arrested in a shooting at a holiday party in Douglasville that left a 15-year-old boy dead, police announced Tuesday.
On New Year’s Eve, about 70 to 100 people gathered at a house on Deering Court that had been rented for a party, police said. Many of those were teenagers who heard about the party on social media.
At some point, a group of four from Cobb County arrived in a vehicle driven by 18-year-old Zorree Peeples, according to police. The passengers were Jhabre Wilson, 17, Karea Cowvins, 17, and Davion White, 20.
After staying at the party for some time, the four people began to drive away, but at least two of them were armed and began shooting in the direction of the party, authorities said. Police said one of the bullets struck and killed the 15-year-old, whose name has not been released.
“They killed the body, but they can’t kill the spirit,” Douglasville police Chief Gary Sparks said in an impassioned Tuesday morning news conference.
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Credit: Rosana Hughes
Credit: Rosana Hughes
“This little 15-year-old citizen of Douglasville was a son, a brother, a schoolmate, a baseball team member,” Sparks said. “The body gonna go away, but that spirit, the people that he touched — that young man will live forever.”
Through a spokesperson, the boy’s family said their heartbreak is unspeakable.
Credit: Rosana Hughes
Credit: Rosana Hughes
“Never in our wildest dreams did we think there would come a day that we would be faced with the devastation of the murder of our son and brother,” Maxwell Billieon, a Los Angeles County commissioner and anti-gun advocate, said on behalf of the family.
“It is something that no parent or sibling should ever have to endure. Our baby boy is gone, and there is nothing that can change that,” Billieon added.
It’s not clear why the suspects began to shoot, but police said all of the charges are gang-related. At least two of the suspects were involved in gang activity in Cobb, Sparks said.
With the exception of Wilson, all of the suspects are in custody.
“If you are harboring Jhabre, we gon’ come have a conversation with you,” Sparks said. “We’re not done yet.”
White was arrested in Oklahoma and has yet to be booked in the Douglas County jail, according to online records. He and Wilson both face murder charges in addition to five counts each of aggravated assault, violation of Georgia’s criminal street gang act and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Cowvins and Peeples are charged with being party to an aggravated assault. They are being held without bond, jail records show.
Sparks urged the community to step up and get involved.
“Young people today, we need to make a turn because you have greatness within you, but you are not using that greatness in a positive way,” he said. “You have greatness within you — all the potential that you have to be great, to change society. We just had Dr. King’s birthday, and during that time we got to be loved. But right now, we’re experiencing hate. So it’s time for our community to take back the streets.”
To those charged with the shooting, the boy’s family said they “hope that this senseless act of gun violence can serve as the defining moment of change in your lives. Because of your decision to unlawfully carry and illegally shoot a firearm on New Year’s Eve 2021, you will forever be connected to us.”
