COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Police are seeking two men for questioning in the shooting death of a College Park teenager.
Rasheedah Evans’ stepfather, Rashid Salaam, said he found the 16-year-old unresponsive Saturday night after hearing gunshots.
“It was around 10:30 or so. I just heard gunshots and it sounded real close to the house,” Salaam said.
One of the bullets entered the living room where the teenager was watching a movie and hit her behind the ear. She was killed instantly.
“She was watching a movie at home. We should be safe in our own homes but we're not safe in our homes. Put the guns down,” Salaam said.
Fulton County police said the bullet was fired for what's known as "celebratory gunfire" on the Fourth of July. Investigators now said they want to speak with 23-year-old Marcel Smith.
Police say Marcel Smith, 23, is a person of interest in this shooting. He is described as a 6 feet tall black male weighing around 185 pounds.
Police stress that Smith is only wanted for questioning.
"We need to have his side of the story. We have the physical evidence, but just going with the physical evidence isn't enough," Lt. Scott McBride said. "We need to hear what happened. He needs to come forward. He needs to step up. He needs to be a man and tell us what happened."
Henry Louis Adams from Citizens Against Celebratory Gunfire believes this is yet another tragedy that could have been avoid.
Adams points to the ShotSpotter program that uses specially placed sensors to identify and locate gunfire and can tell the difference between a round and fireworks.
Several cities in metro Atlanta have looked into the program, and none have approved the millions of dollars it takes to run it.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
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