Suspect's family admits he lied to police, says I-20 shooting was accident

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The family of the man accused of killing a woman in an SUV on Interstate 20 said the shooting was an accident.

Channel 2 Action News had live coverage of the shooting Thursday as police blocked off lanes near Wesley Chapel Road.

Airiyunna Burston was taken to the hospital in critical condition but later died. Greg Neal is accused of pulling the trigger.

Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes spoke to the aunt of suspect charged, who is also the mother of the third person in the SUV. She said she hasn't slept all night.

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Oleta Glenn said this was all a terrible accident and she said that's why her nephew and her son lied to police about what happened.

“He was scared,” Glenn said. “He was scared, they were scared and eventually the truth came out.”

Glenn explained why her son and her nephew lied to police about the shooting inside this SUV while it was traveling on I-20.

She said her son, Decardo Glenn, was driving and Burston was beside him in the front passenger seat.

Oleta’s nephew, Neal, also known as Rashad, was in the backseat. Police said Neal fired a gun and the bullet killed Burston.

But when police first arrived to the scene, Neal and Glenn told police some stranger fired a shot into their vehicle during a road rage incident.

“I told them they should’ve just told the truth at first it was going to eventually come out,” Oleta said. “This girl is dead, just tell the truth.”

Fernandes asked Oleta why her nephew had the gun out in the first place.

“He was in the car, he was pulling it out of his pocket so he could get comfortable in the car and it went off,” Oleta said. “He wouldn’t have done it on purpose I know he wouldn’t of.”

Cox Media Group