Local

Mom wanted teen jailed before killing

ATLANTA — The mother of a 15-year-old charged in a fatal shooting said she fought to keep her son behind bars.

"I just feel like the juvenile system failed me," Senoia Davis told Channel 2's Mark Winne.

Davis' son, Quintavious, is the suspect in a triple shooting at a southwest Atlanta home March 3. The shooting killed 15-year-old Voneitra Maxey, left another teen paralyzed and another wounded. Maxey's mother said no one wanted to tell her the bad news.

"No one would tell me my baby's alright. I knew she was gone," Brenda Kemp said.

But Davis said the whole thing could have been prevented.

"I'm not a parent that didn't beg and ask for help," she said.

Days before the shooting, Davis was released by Fulton County juvenile court on an ankle monitor. He was being held in connection with a car theft. Police said he used the stolen SUV to ram an Atlanta police cruiser in February. Davis' mother said she didn't want him let loose.

"I pleaded with the judge not to let him out. DFCS (Department of Family and Children's Services) pleaded with the judge not to let him out, and he was released," Davis said.

Even her son's lawyer said the teen would have been better off had he remained behind bars.

"I do know had he not been released he wouldn't even be a suspect in this case," attorney Adam Hames said.

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Kemp said she uses her daughter's dying words to keep her going. Witnesses at the crime scene said the teen wanted her mother to know that she loved her, was sorry if she hurt her and that she was going to be with her father, who died when she was 3-years-old.

"That's what's going to give me strength as long as I live. Jesus knew I needed that," Kemp said.

The Fulton County Juvenile Court sent a statement to Winne late Tuesday afternoon. It reads,

“The Fulton County Juvenile Court is devastated that a child has lost her life and another child has been injured in a senseless shooting. As a Court that operates daily to protect the best interests of children, any injury to a child is heartbreaking.

“While judges are precluded from discussing matters before the Court in compliance with the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct, it is important that the Community understands that the Fulton County Juvenile Court takes all necessary steps with due diligence to protect the community and adhere to the requirements provided in the Juvenile Code.

“We must work within the prescribed limits of the law to adjudicate delinquent cases while simultaneously being ever conscious of the need to preserve and protect the safety of our children, parents and community.

“Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the victims, their families and the community.”

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