Two alleged gang members have been charged with malice murder in the 2023 fatal shooting of a Valdosta State University student from metro Atlanta, according to officials.
Tsion Clayton, 23, and Kimone Green, 21, were both already in custody on unrelated charges when they were identified as suspects in the deadly incident, the GBI said. One man is in jail in Georgia while the other is in a Florida jail, though the GBI did not specify where each suspect is being held.
The men are accused of shooting and killing 21-year-old Brianna Long, a fourth-year dental hygiene student who was previously an award-winning soccer player at Paulding County High School.
Long and another employee were both shot outside the Lowndes County bar where they worked around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2023. The man who was hit has since recovered, but Long died at South Georgia Medical Center, the GBI said.
Investigators believe Clayton and Green were looking for someone related to an “ongoing gang dispute” the night Long was killed, according to the state agency. At the time, authorities said Long was killed by a stray bullet after gunfire erupted.
According to a news release Thursday from the office of Attorney General Chris Carr, Clayton and Green were members of the Valdosta-originated criminal street gang known as 528, which carried out criminal acts in Lowndes, Colquitt County and Jacksonville, Florida.
Carr said Clayton and Green were among seven people also charged in a 44-count indictment obtained in Lowndes that stated those members engaged in 97 “overt acts” in furtherance of a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy. Those acts included the shooting deaths of Long and 21-year-old Jaylon Smith in 2023.
Officials said the gang members “conspired together and with others” to obtain money, weapons and property through robbery and theft, according to the release. They also sought to increase their power and influence with more violent actions, including murder, assault and threats to other gangs, Carr’s office said.
Long’s shooting took place in the small city of Remerton, which is encircled by Valdosta. Remerton police asked the GBI to help investigate the shooting shortly after it took place.
Both suspects are from Lowndes. They are each facing charges of malice murder, felony murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated battery, conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to Carr’s office.
In addition, they are charged with two counts of first-degree criminal damage to property, four counts of violation of the street gang terrorism and prevention act and 16 counts of aggravated assault, officials said.
“There is no place for violent criminals in the state of Georgia,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said in a statement. “The senseless and tragic deaths of Brianna Long and Jaylon Smith show the egregious acts members of criminal street gangs are capable of committing. These gangs create chaos in our communities and destroy innocent lives. Since the moment the GBI was requested to investigate Brianna’s death, we did not relent in the pursuit of justice, and we remain committed to working with the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit and our other partners to track down and hold those accountable that engage in gang activity in Georgia.”
The GBI said the investigation remains active and has asked the public to share any details related to the case or the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI Thomasville Office at 229-225-4090. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), visiting https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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