A Rockdale County homeowner shot and killed three masked teenagers during an alleged attempted robbery in Conyers, Georgia, in an incident that was investigated as a potential "stand your ground" case.
The shooting occurred just after 4 a.m. on White Oak Court, off Flat Shoals Road in Conyers, about 30 miles east of Atlanta. Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett stated that the three teens had approached the home with the intent to rob its residents.
According to investigators, the three suspects — 16-year-old Isaiah Reid, 15-year-old Jaime Hernandez, and 16-year-old Brandon Gresham — had their faces covered with masks when they approached the residence and attempted to rob three individuals who were in the front yard. One of the suspects brandished a handgun and fired shots at the residents before one of the intended robbery victims returned fire.
Family members identified Reid and Hernandez as brothers. "They was loving, they was brothers," said LaShawn Thornton, their aunt. Family members gathered near the scene and demanded answers about the circumstances of the shooting.
One of the intended robbery victims was not injured in the exchange of gunfire, but all three suspects were struck and died — one at the scene and two at a local hospital. Investigators recovered two firearms at the scene.
Sheriff Levett stated the case could possibly be a "stand your ground" type case based on preliminary information. Georgia is one of the states with stand your ground protections, which allow the use of deadly force in self-defense situations. Legal analysts noted that because the shooting took place at 4 a.m. with masked individuals who fired first, it presented a strong self-defense case.
The homeowner, through a neighbor, declined to comment publicly on the incident.