A 13-year-old boy was killed during a sleepover with friends after gunfire erupted at a Georgia home in what authorities suspect may have been a gang-related attack. A man inside the house was also fatally shot.
Demarcus Shirley, 13, was among those struck when dozens of bullets were fired into a residence in Gresham Park at about 4 a.m. on July 2, according to Atlanta News First. The drive-by shooting also killed 45-year-old Chauncey Newman and a dog at the home.
“He had a lot of life in front of him. He was a loved member of our family,” Demarcus’ great-uncle, Greg Carthon, said as relatives mourned the teenager’s death.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive, but an arrest warrant obtained by KPTV indicated that gang involvement was considered “likely.” Friends of Demarcus, however, have pushed back on any suggestion that he was connected to gang activity.
“He wasn’t in the streets at all. He’s just a funny little kid who liked to run around and play like a normal little kid,” said Larry Bell-Ware, one of the children who was at the sleepover that night.
“Demarcus had too much to live. He died too young,” Bell-Ware added.
According to Larenzo Pinkins, another friend who was there, the group had been spending the night together when shots suddenly tore through the home as they slept.
“We had come upstairs, and I had seen him, and I tried to grab him, and he was dead,” Pinkins told 11Alive, describing Demarcus as “really like my little brother for real.”
Keyshun Webb, 21, has since been charged with two counts of murder for killing the young teen and Newman.
Webb was also slapped with eight counts of aggravated assault, and an animal cruelty charge.
Shots were fired from a car Webb was driving around the time of the shooting, according to the warrant.
Webb was also allegedly involved in another drive-by shooting on the same day, the warrant says.
Cops suspect four people, including Webb, and two cars were involved in the shootings. The other suspects have not been identified.
“The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to ensuring individuals accused of violent crimes are located and brought into custody,” DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said.
