Motive unknown in murder of Georgia football star shot at mall; teen suspects extradited from South Carolina
Elijah DeWitt, 18, was gunned down in mall parking lot
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Funeral arrangements have been set for a Georgia star high school football player gunned down in a mall parking lot last week, and investigators are working to determine the motive for the shooting allegedly carried out by two teenagers later apprehended in South Carolina after fleeing the scene.
Elijah DeWitt, an 18-year-old wide receiver at Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Georgia, was fatally shot on Oct. 5 at approximately 8:15 p.m. in the parking lot of a Dave & Buster’s at Sugarloaf Mills Mall in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Two days later, the Gwinnett County Police Department announced the arrests of Kemare Bryan, 18, and Chandler Richardson, 19, both from Lawrenceville, and apprehended in South Carolina.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bryan and Richardson were taken into the custody of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and are expected to be extradited to Gwinnett County on Monday.
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They are both charged with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies in connection with the murder of DeWitt.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Murder victim Elijah DeWitt is shown with girlfriend Bailey Reidling. (Bailey Reidling)
"Detectives are still working to investigate the motive behind this incident, it appears that the suspects and the victim were familiar with each other and when they encountered each other in the parking lot, an altercation took place and then the shooting," Gwinnett police said in a statement on Friday.
The Gwinnett County Police Department has charged Kemare Bryan, 18, and Chandler Richardson, 19, both of Lawrenceville, Georgia, with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies in connection with the murder of Elijah DeWitt. (Gwinnett Police Department)
About 100 people turned up Sunday night for a candlelight vigil for the murdered high school senior whose family says he had aspirations of playing college football, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Murder victim Elijah DeWitt hugs his girlfriend, Bailey Reidling. (Bailey Reidling)
A visitation will be held at Jefferson Church from 6 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday before a funeral service is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Jefferson High School. Players on both teams during a local high school football game held up two fingers in honor of DeWitt's number on Friday night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Murder victim Elijah DeWitt attends a football game with his girlfriend, Bailey Reidling. (Bailey Reidling)
WXIA-TV reported Friday about obtaining three 911 calls. In one, a woman describes the suspected gunman being dropped off in a black vehicle and crossing her vehicle’s path. She said she nearly ran into him before hearing gunshots while finishing parking. In another call, the operator instructs the manager of Dave & Buster's on how to perform CPR. "He's barely breathing," the manager said, frantically attempting to revive DeWitt. "No response, no response."
"I was at Dave & Buster's, I heard people screaming, I looked towards my right, and I see someone lay down," a male voice says in the third 911 call with a woman heard crying in the background. "I've never seen anything like this, man."