Despite his claim of self-defense, a man has been charged with murder in the weekend shooting death of a teenager, officials said.

Jalen Breon Brown and RayQuann Deonte Jernigan got in a fight Sunday morning in the parking lot of the Riverview Apartments in Athens, Athens-Clarke police spokesman Epifanio Rodriguez said. It’s not clear why they were fighting.

At some point, Brown, 21, pulled out a gun and shot Jernigan in the chest, Rodriguez said.

Brown said he was defending himself, according to police, who identified the victim and the suspect as men.

Jernigan, a 17-year-old transgender woman who was known to friends and family as Ava Le’Ray Barrin, was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died.

According to an online obituary, Barrin "made the decision to reveal to her closest loved ones; friends, and those around her that RayQuann was actually Ava Le'Ray Barrin. A brave young woman who feared nothing; nobody, and especially not being herself."

The two knew each other, but no motives have been established.

“It was just an argument that escalated,” Rodriguez said.

Brown is in the Athens-Clarke County jail on murder and aggravated assault charges with no bond, according to jail records.

Family and friends held a vigil for Barrin on Monday.

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Stacey Abrams speaks at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Georgia State University’s convocation center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Abrams is at the center of speculation over whether she will mount a third campaign for governor. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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