Just a few weeks into 2023, Deshon DuBose spent a Saturday night at a skating rink. A Drew Charter School seventh grader, tall in stature, his friends would sometimes jokingly call him ‘Grandpa.’
“He had a little old soul,” said Shaun Harris, Drew Charter’s Junior Academy dean of students. “He would always ask me, ‘How’s your mom doing? How’s the family doing?’”
A fight between two groups evolved into gunfire that January night, and Deshon became Atlanta’s first homicide victim of the year. He was 13.
On Tuesday, the 16-year-old accused in the shooting pleaded not guilty to murder charges. Chiurazzi Bailey Jr. was arrested in March and is being held at a youth detention center, although he’s charged as an adult. His attorney is hoping he will be granted bond so he can return to high school.
Bailey appeared via Zoom during the hearing. He spoke very little, but acknowledged he understands his charges.
Deshon’s grandfather told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he doesn’t think the suspect should be granted bond.
“Deshon will never get to go back to school,” Charles DuBose said Tuesday. “I’m not angry with anyone but I still want justice for my grandson’s death.”
The shooting was one of several in recent months where both the victims and suspects have been youths, according to investigators. Four teenagers became homicide victims in June, according to police. The cases remain under investigation.
In November, Zyion Charles, 12, and Cameron Jackson, 15, were fatally shot on the 17th Street bridge. Six suspects have been arrested in the case, including three 15-year-olds, according to police.
On May 15, Devon Mitchell died several days after being shot outside the Washington Park Natatorium on Ollie Street. He was 17. The case remains under investigation.
Deshon was shot when gunfire erupted between two groups outside the Cascade Family Skating rink in southwest Atlanta, police said. Officers were called to the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive rink around 11:30 p.m. Jan. 21 and found him with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.
“He had my permission to go to the skating rink. I let him go to the skating rink and I wasn’t expecting for this to happen like this,” Charlet DuBose, Deshon’s mother, said after his death. “It’s still shocking to me. It still feels unreal to me. They took my baby.”
In June, a grand jury indicted Bailey on eight counts, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children, court records showed. This week, defense attorney Clint Rucker filed a motion requesting Bailey be granted bond.
Bailey’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 7. During Tuesday’s hearing, Rucker said Bailey is a Benjamin E. Mays High School student and has missed weeks of school since his arrest.
Mays High School was the scene of another shooting involving youths. Bre’Asia Powell, 16, died after being shot in the chest in the early-morning hours outside Mays High School, according to police. Bre’Asia was a rising junior at Mays, where she played basketball and volleyball and was an outstanding student, her family said. The shooting also left another teen injured. Jaquan Withers, 18, and Willie Dennis, 19, were later arrested and charged with murder.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
