"You shot and killed a baby": Atlanta mayor calls for justice in killing of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner
An 8-year-old girl was fatally shot during a wave of violence in Atlanta during the Fourth of July weekend, authorities said. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms demanded justice for Secoriea Turner and called out her killers, saying "you shot and killed a baby" during a news conference Sunday.
Turner was among five people killed and at least 20 people were injured in multiple shootings during the holiday weekend, according to CBS affiliate WGCL-TV. Bottoms delivered an impassioned plea to stop the violence in the city.
"Secoriea Turner was shot and killed last night, and it was not at the hands, by the hands of a police officer," she said. "It was by the hands of a coward, cowards, who are still out and about in our community."
She also urged for people to remain focused on the Black Lives Matter movement – and not "lose each other."
"But the difference in this moment in time and the civil rights movement, the civil rights movement there was a defined common enemy," she said. "So, we're fighting the enemy within when we are shooting each other up on our streets in this city and you shot and killed a baby. And it wasn't one shooter, there were at least two shooters. An 8-year-old baby. If you want people to take us seriously and you don't want us to lose this movement, then we can't lose each other."
Turner was riding in a car with her mother and an adult friend when the vehicle exited an intersection and attempted to enter a parking lot, police said. They were approached by a group of armed individuals who were illegally blocking the entrance and someone in the group began shooting the car, hitting Turner, according to police.
Turner was shot across the street from the Wendy's parking lot where Rayshard Brooks was killed by a former Atlanta police officer last month. The girl was taken to Atlanta Medical Center, but she succumbed to her wounds.
"The child received treatment at the hospital but did not survive her injuries," said Rodney Bryant, Interim Atlanta Police Chief.
Bottoms thanked protesters for being mostly peaceful since the deaths of George Floyd and Brooks. However, she said the Wendy's, which has served as a place for some demonstrators to gather, will be cleared out. A group was reportedly spotted there with guns last month.
"It's over," she said. "We're not doing this. If you are looking to be part of a solution and not a problem, you're gonna have to clear out from the area."
Turner's mother, Charmaine, wants the public to help find the people responsible for the killing of the child.
"Help me help my baby," she said. "We understand the frustration of Rayshard Brooks. We understand. We ain't got nothing to do with that. We innocent. We didn't mean no harm. My baby didn't mean harm. Somebody knows something."
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction, according to police.
