An Atlanta teenager suspected of killing an 8-year-old girl near Wendy’s where police killed Rayshard Brooks last month turned himself in to police on Wednesday, authorities said.
Julian Conley, 19, was transported to the Fulton County Jail after a felony murder order was issued Tuesday, Atlanta police said in a statement. He also faces an aggravated assault charge.
Secoriea Turner was shot to death while riding in a car with her mother and friend on July 4. The driver attempted to park in a parking lot that was fenced off after Brooks’ murder on June 12.
The area was the site of racial justice demonstrations after Brooks, who was black, was shot dead by Officer Garrett Rolfe, who is white.
Rolfe, who has since been fired from the department, has been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and other crimes after he shot Brooks twice in the back.
A second officer, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault and violation of the oath.
The parking lot where Secoriea was shot is half a mile from the Wendy’s. She was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Conley turned himself in after authorities released a photo of him over the weekend with a gun. The department identified him as a person of interest in the Secoriea murder.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Conley’s attorney Jackie Patterson said his client was arrested “solely because he refused to cooperate” with authorities.
“Once I identified him as the person in that picture and said that we would not cooperate, then they decided: show it, issue a serious crime murder order,” he said.
Patterson told NBC affiliate WXIA that Conley saw four gunmen fire on Secoriea’s car, but did not fire his gun and could not identify who did it.
Patterson said Wednesday that Conley was armed that day because he has a constitutional right to carry a weapon in public.