Investigators were searching late Tuesday for a man accused of killing an 11-year-old girl by firing into her Spalding County home as she slept.
Deputies were called to the home in the Spalding Heights neighborhood around 1 a.m. and found the child. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. Her name was not released late Tuesday pending notification of family members, the county coroner said.
“One of the rounds that was fired at the intended target missed, traveled through the victim’s bedroom window and struck her, killing her instantly,” Sheriff Darrell Dix said in a statement.
On Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff’s office announced that a suspect had been charged, though he was not in custody.
Kionta Jahaun Parks was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, violation of the street gang act, and violation of the domestic terrorism statute, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said Parks should be considered armed and dangerous, though his whereabouts were unknown. Anyone who comes in contact with him should call 911, the sheriff’s office said.
The department’s victim services unit has been with the family since the incident took place and have been providing them with an alternate place to stay, as well as helping with expenses, Dix said. The Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office was also involved in the investigation, the sheriff said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 770-467-4282.
