Alasia Franklin had a contagious, warm smile and an even brighter future. The Kennesaw State University student had dreams of becoming a nurse after college, fitting with how she often put others before herself, according to her family.
“She was a special individual to everyone she encountered,” her mother, Alinda Henderson-Fortner, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. “She was very humble, respectful, smart and beautiful inside and out.”
Franklin’s future was cut short Saturday afternoon when the 21-year-old was shot and killed in front of the Austin Residence Complex on the south side of the Cobb County campus.
The suspected killer, identified as Samuel Harris, fled the scene but was later arrested and accused of using a Glock 9mm handgun to shoot Franklin, according to a Cobb arrest report obtained Sunday. Harris, 21, was Franklin’s ex-boyfriend and the shooting happened during a dispute between them, Henderson-Fortner said.
Harris was not a student, officials confirmed. County jail records show he is from Cairo, a South Georgia town where Franklin went to high school.
Her daughter had known him since middle school and they had broken up in December, Henderson-Fortner told Channel 2 Action News in a previous interview Monday. The breakup was intense, but nonviolent.
“My mind is racing, just trying to put pieces of the puzzle together,” she said, adding that she didn’t believe Harris had a car. “I did not approve after their last breakup. I did suggest, ‘Maybe you guys need to take a break.’”
A red Camry was reported leaving the scene of Saturday’s shooting, a Cobb police report stated. Police have not shared a motive.
“We do not have any additional information to share,” a university spokesperson said Monday afternoon.
While growing up, Franklin routinely had her head in the books. She was an honor roll student starting in middle school and throughout her time at Cairo High School. At KSU, she made the Dean’s List as part of the nursing program, her mother said.
Credit: Family Photo
Credit: Family Photo
“She was my oldest daughter. She was very smart and intelligent with a heart of gold,” her father, Frederick Fain, told the AJC on Monday.
Franklin served on the KSU homecoming court as a junior. Her smile was magnified on the big screen at Fifth Third Stadium in October, when she proudly wore her homecoming sash over a sparkling black dress, videos showed. She celebrated her 21st birthday a month later.
An alert about an armed intruder was sent out around 4 p.m. Saturday, putting the campus on lockdown for about 45 minutes. It was the fourth time since 2018 that an armed intruder prompted KSU students and staff to shelter in place.
In January, when three people robbed an Uber driver’s vehicle at gunpoint and drove it onto campus, freshman Trevor Morgan said he became trapped in the lunchroom.
“I still have to go to school,” he said after Saturday’s shooting. “You can’t really do anything about it.”
After hearing the gunfire, student Anthony Harrison told Channel 2 that he ran to help. He rushed to a body lying on the ground and realized he knew the victim.
“I can’t express how much I feel sorry that you guys lost her,” Harrison said, speaking to Franklin’s family. “I mean, I wish I could have done more to help.”
Credit: Family Photo
Credit: Family Photo
On Sunday morning, recent graduate Katya Klimov was shocked to learn about the gunfire the previous day. The criminal justice major said she usually felt safe as a student but made sure to never go out at night. She cited the recent carjacking and other robberies during her time there, and hoped the university would implement better rules to keep people safe. However, she also admitted that shootings like this could “happen literally anywhere, unfortunately.”
KSU police reviewed their files and confirmed there have been no homicides on campus within the past five years, according to a university spokesperson. The school’s most recent Annual Security and Fire Safety Report also showed no homicides on campus from 2020 to 2023. During the 2023-24 school year, two burglaries, a robbery, an aggravated domestic assault and one rape were reported on campus, according to university crime data posted to its website.
KSU police said they are working with the GBI during the latest investigation.
Franklin is at least the second student to be killed on a Georgia college campus this year. In February, nursing student Laken Riley was killed near the University of Georgia’s intramural fields. Jose Antonio Ibarra was recently indicted on several charges, including murder, in that case.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Harris was booked into the Cobb jail and is facing charges of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He is being held without bond.
KSU officials said they are offering counseling resources at their campuses this week for those in need.
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