7 face gang charges in fatal shooting of 13-year-old boys in SW Atlanta

Woolfolk declined to identify the rapper involved, saying, “You know who you are.”

Woolfolk said the group responsible for the shooting was the Goodfellas street gang. An alleged gang leader in Hancock State Prison used a contraband cellphone to instruct others to carry out the shooting as retribution for the rapper’s supposed offense, Woolfolk said.

Online records for Georgia’s Department of Corrections show that 36-year-old Quiyontay Sanders, one of the suspects named at Wednesday’s news conference, has been in Hancock State Prison since 2023.

“We will pursue you relentlessly,” Woolfolk said of the gang.

On July 2, shortly after midnight, six suspects parked two cars around the corner from the West End Apartments near Dimmock and Peeples streets, police said at the time. They walked up to the apartments and opened fire, shooting “indiscriminately” at the buildings and hitting the three boys, killing two of them, Maj. Pete Malecki of APD’s major crimes section said.

Malecki described Freeman and Davis as “good kids” who were not targeted in the shooting and had no gang affiliations or interactions with police.

Schierbaum said that APD investigators partnered with the FBI to track down the suspects and gather evidence against them. With the FBI’s help, Woolfolk said police were able to establish a wiretap investigation. Officers in the gang unit spent more than 5,000 hours gathering evidence through the wiretap, Woolfolk said.

Though the investigation remains open, the evidence gathered since July allowed police to develop probable cause against Sanders, who is suspected of orchestrating the shooting from prison, and the six suspected gunmen.

Caldwell and Crawford were arrested Tuesday on charges stemming directly from the shooting, police said, while the four other suspected shooters were already housed in the Fulton County Jail.

Richard Hollis, 24, was the first to be arrested in August on charges of obstruction and fleeing from an officer while driving, jail records show.

Reginald Thomas, 38, was the next suspect arrested; he was booked in September on multiple counts of drug trafficking, as well as gang and gun charges, according to jail records.

Markus Crawford, 34, who police identified as the brother of Tradon Crawford, was arrested Jan. 15 by the Georgia State Patrol, jail records show. It’s not clear what led GSP to arrest him.

Just a few days later, DeKeitheon Mobley, 24, was taken into custody on drug and gun counts, along with multiple counts of violating probation, according to jail records. The drug and gun counts have since been dismissed, though he is still charged with violating probation, in addition to the new charges related to the July shooting.

Credit: Atlanta Police Department

Credit: Atlanta Police Department

All six of the suspected gunmen are facing two counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault and a half-dozen gang counts, among other charges.

Caldwell and Tradon Crawford are also charged with counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and criminal attempt to commit a felony, per jail records. Those counts stem from alleged offenses that took place the day before the shooting.

During Wednesday’s news conference, police officials repeatedly pointed out the senselessness of the violence that left Freeman and Davis dead. Both Woolfolk and Malecki mentioned that July 2 was Freeman’s birthday and that he died just a half-hour into his teenage years.

They also thanked the community for their help with the investigation. Malecki said video evidence showed neighbors rushing out to help the boys after they were shot. Police canvassed the neighborhood, which they once described as a “gang stronghold,” shortly after the shooting. The information gathered during those conversations and the 911 calls in the shooting’s aftermath helped the investigation, police said.

Woolfolk in particular blamed the boys' deaths on “grown men playing gangster” and labeled the actions on both sides of the dispute as “cowardly.”

There is still a $50,000 reward on the table for additional information in relationship to this case," Woolfolk said. The reward has been offered since July by Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta. Anyone with information can submit a tip anonymously by calling 404-577-8477, visiting www.stopcrimeatl.org or texting CSGA ((2742) to 738477.