Crime & Public Safety

2 teens arrested in Florida, accused in fatal Gwinnett market shooting

Two teenage suspects, a boy from Lilburn and a girl from Lawrenceville, were taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies in Fort Walton, Florida, Gwinnett County police said. They are accused in a shooting outside La Mexicana Supermarket on Beaver Ruin Road.
Two teenage suspects, a boy from Lilburn and a girl from Lawrenceville, were taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies in Fort Walton, Florida, Gwinnett County police said. They are accused in a shooting outside La Mexicana Supermarket on Beaver Ruin Road.
Updated Nov 18, 2022

Two 16-year-olds were arrested in Florida in connection with a shooting Wednesday evening at a Gwinnett County market that left another 16-year-old dead and a teenage girl injured, police said.

The two teenage suspects, a boy from Lilburn and a girl from Lawrenceville, were taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies in Fort Walton, Gwinnett police spokesman Sgt. Jennifer Richter announced Friday morning. The suspects, who will be charged as juveniles, each face counts of malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.

The teens will be held in the Walton County Jail in Florida until they can be extradited, Richter said.

The shooting took place in the parking lot of the La Mexicana Supermarket at 745 Beaver Ruin Road, just outside Lilburn, police said. Officers were called to the location around 7:30 p.m. and found a 17-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound.

Investigators later discovered that a second victim, Ryan Rodriguez Romero of Peachtree Corners, had also been shot, police said in a statement. He drove himself away from the scene, and his vehicle was found a short distance away on Vernon Street. Romero was pronounced dead inside the car, police said.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

About the Author

Henri Hollis is a restaurant critic and food reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he covers Atlanta’s restaurants, chefs and dining culture. As part of the AJC’s Food & Dining team, he reviews new restaurants, reports on industry trends and explores metro Atlanta’s culinary scene through the neighborhoods and people that shape it.

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