In the left inset is Qua’vion Cooper (from Meriwether County Jail). On the right inset is high school football player Brandon Smith (from GoFundMe). The background shows Manchester High School football players paying tribute to Brandon Smith during the 2023 Class A Division II championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 12, 2023 (WXIA/YouTube).
According to police and local reports, a 17-year-old in Georgia is accused of being involved in the murder of a fellow high school classmate and football player just days prior to their state championship game, and then playing the game in memory of the victim.
Qua’vion Cooper, hailing from Manchester, was arrested in connection with the 2023 shooting death of his 17-year-old peer, Brandon Smith. He faces charges of murder “as a party to the crime,” as announced by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) in a press release on May 1. The release states that Cooper allegedly aided A’darius Jashawn Williams, 19, in the killing of Smith—a Manchester High School student and defensive lineman set to play in the Class A Division II championship alongside Cooper at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The incident was reportedly the result of a verbal confrontation, according to GBI.
“During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Cooper aided and abetted A’darius Williams, who shot and killed Smith on December 7, 2023, following an argument,” GBI officials allege.
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Williams, 19, was booked for Smith’s murder in January 2024. Police in Manchester, which is around 75 miles south of Atlanta, say he got into an argument with Smith prior to the shooting, but no specific details of the dispute have been provided or made available.
Background: Crime scene where body of Brandon Smith, 17, was found (WXIA/YouTube). Inset: A’darius Jashawn Williams (Meriwether County Jail).
The GBI was tasked with looking for Smith after he was reported missing by his family; his body turned up three days after officials say he was killed.
“On Sunday, December 10, 2023, a 911 caller reported a dead body behind a home on 3rd Avenue,” GBI officials said in a January 2024 statement. “The body was determined to be Smith and police suspected foul play.”
Smith had been reported missing by his grandmother on Dec. 9 after she had tried contacting him repeatedly without success. The next day, the boy’s football coach reached out to let her know that her grandson’s body had been found, Atlanta outlet WXIA reported. Police believe Smith was murdered on Dec. 7.
Smith’s grandma, who raised the 17-year-old since he was an infant, told the New York Post she believed Smith “wanted to tell her something he couldn’t” the night before he went missing.
Meriwether County School District officials issued a statement Monday to local ABC affiliate WSB about Cooper’s alleged involvement.
“We are aware of the two arrests in connection with the tragic death of Brandon Smith in 2023,” the district said, per WSB. “This is a deeply difficult moment for many in our community, and our hearts remain with Brandon’s family, friends, and teammates as they continue to grieve this loss.”
WSB reports that the Manchester Blue Devils played the state title game in Smith’s honor, with Cooper being one of the team’s stars to suit up. The school lost the game by one point.
“He never gave us problems,” Smith’s grandfather told local ABC affiliate WTVM. “He’s always been good, ever since he was a little bitty infant until his age now, 17 years old … And I just hate that somebody shortened his dreams like that and cut him short.”
