DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Friends and family remembered two young brothers who were shot to death outside their DeKalb County apartment.
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Julian Ellis, 18, is charged with two counts of felony murder and six counts of aggravated assault.
Police say the investigation is still ongoing.
But tonight, the focus shifted to Jamarion Rolle, 11, and Jakhi Clark, 12 as family and neighbors gathered to remember the boys, who their cousin described as sweet and loving.
“They’re innocent kids, yeah, you know. They didn’t start any issues. They didn’t start any arguments or anything like that,” said Kaitlyn Davidson, who is still trying to process the loss of her two young cousins.
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She says the brothers were best friends caring, respectful, and were loved by their classmates, teachers and neighbors.
Tonight, family and neighbors returned to the place where the brothers were killed releasing balloons and lighting candles.
Their mother says trouble began after an argument surrounding a neighborhood football game Thursday.
Davidson says their mom tried to de-escalate it, but Sunday, the teens returned. Gunfire killed both boys and wounded two other relatives.
“It’s something that no one can ever describe or understand until they go through something like that and no young mother wants to lose their children at 11 and 12 years old,” Davidson said.
The family is surrounded by support tonight.
But Davidson says she worries about what happens when everyone leaves and their mother is left to face the loss of her two sons.
“A lot of people think that the grief starts here but it doesn’t. It starts when everyone is gone,” she said.
There is encouraging news tonight about the two other relatives who were shot.
The older relative was released from the hospital. She was at the memorial tonight and is doing OK.
The 19-year-old pregnant relative, who family says was shot three times, remains in the hospital. But she is recovering and did not lose her baby.
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